


The Variat

by RageSloth



Category: Original Work
Genre: (yes again), Eggs, Exhibitionism, Foursome - M/M/M/Other, Harems, Human/Humanoid, M/M, Magic, Multi, Other, Oviposition, Past Abuse, Polyamory, Sort of Alpha/omega dynamics, Sort of intersex character- Omega-like, The other realm, Threesome - M/M/Other, Voyeurism, original humanoid fantasy creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:14:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 46,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27493300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RageSloth/pseuds/RageSloth
Summary: Kori was not going to just bow down and take on his duties without a fight, that was for damn sure. There was much too much he had yet to experience in the other realm! He had really only caught a glimpse and he was only fifty-seven. That was quite young for a Variess such as himself. He had hundreds of good breeding years. Why should he hurry up on that? It's not as if their race was in dire need of populace. Why should he rush into bed with five men he hadn't even picked for himself? What was in it for him? Sure, his husbands got a good lay with an actual Variat but he was stuck gestating and laying eggs day in and day out. Hell, one of his soon-husbands was nearly eight-hundred years-old! How were they supposed to have anything in common? They had yet to meet but he certainly didn't think they could be very well cut-out for each other. Every other Variess got to pick their own mates yet he had two already chosen for him as soon as he had popped out of his egg. Why did he have to be born the Variat?
Relationships: Human/humanoid - Relationship, Original male character/sort of intersex orignal male character
Comments: 14
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

Kori was not going to just bow down and take on his duties without a fight, that was for damn sure. There was much too much he had yet to experience in the other realm! He had really only caught a glimpse and he was only fifty-seven. That was quite young for a Variess such as himself. He had hundreds of good breeding years. Why should he hurry up on that? It's not as if their race was in dire need of populace. Why should he rush into bed with five men he hadn't even picked for himself? What was in it for _him_? Sure, his husbands got a good lay with an actual Variat but he was stuck gestating and laying eggs day in and day out. Hell, one of his soon-husbands was nearly eight-hundred years-old! How were they supposed to have anything in common? They had yet to meet but he certainly didn't think they could be very well cut-out for each other. Every other Variess got to pick their own mates yet he had two already chosen for him as soon as he had popped out of his egg. Why did he have to be born the Variat?

He crossed his arms over his chest, hanging upside-down from a large branch in his favorite tree, about thirty feet off the ground, contemplating it all. He had his calves hooked over the branch and his tail wrapped tightly around the tree limb so why should anyone be so worried for him? He _was_ a Variess. They used to _live_ in trees, after all. Yet this didn't stop his soon-husband Roane from fretting on the ground far beneath him. He was up there because of Roane after all, so why would he come down just because the big ass was worried?

" Variat, _please_ come down from there!" He called for probably the eighth time. Kori growled.

"Maybe call me by my actual name and I will..." He muttered.

"That is your _title_." The man hissed up at him. Kori made a face. How in the hell had he even heard that?

"Well, I don't like it!" He yelled down at him. They glared at each other.

"You have spent far too much time in that... _place_. This is not becoming of a Variat."

"Well, I like it better! In _America_ people get to live their lives the way they want instead of pushed into awful gender roles and made to be some sort of egg-making machine!" Kori yelled down at him. The man made a long-suffering sort of groan and covered his eyes with his hand.

"In _America_ half the population can reproduce! We just have _you_!" Kori could practically hear the "unfortunately" that would surely have been said if Roane were less proper. The man was one-hundred and two years-old but acted like he was a thousand.

"You just want to get laid!" Kori yelled. The man made a face at the crude wording, scrunching up his perfect pointy nose. He was handsome but to Kori that didn't really mean anything. All his husbands were supposed to be handsome. He was much taller than Kori's nearly six feet at an inch over seven. Though this wasn't unusual; Kori was short, as was usually the case with Variats. Roane had blue-black hair that fell around his face in waves. His skin was the same as Kori's; a pale pearl color with tones of pale blue around his eyes, his lips, and when blushing or when their blue blood rushed to their face or other areas. His ears were pointed and elf-like like Kori's, and though his tips were a bit long it looked quite good on the man. His best feature was his vivid green eyes, and when Kori thought the man wasn't looking he would occasionally gaze at them and think about getting bred up by him... though he would never admit it.

"That is the entire point, Variat." The man said dryly. "We all have our burdens to bare. I don't necessarily want to be in a pod with Arindal but I must do my duty just as you must." Kori laughed bitterly.

"Oh it must be _so hard_ for you! _You_ don't have to lay eggs! So what if you have to be in a pod with some dickhead? I'm in a pod with _you_!" Kori yelled at him. The man gave him a look of distaste.

"Where have you been learning this language? Have you been lurking around the docks again? It's entirely beneath you." The Variess said with a sigh. Kori had indeed been enjoying his time at the docks. He had made quite a few friends with the fishermen there and he liked it a hell of a lot more than he did being around Roane. He thought maybe in another life he would have just joined a pod of fishermen and been very happy.

"Yup!" Kori replied in annoyance. He kind of wanted to spit and see if it landed on Roane's head. He was almost directly beneath him, but that was just a _little_ too uncouth for him. It was nice to think about, though. "What the hell did this Arindal even do to you?" Kori asked. He had yet to meet his second husband. His third, he had only met once about thirty years ago, and his last two had yet to be assigned. The others were to be brought in from other distant colonies as over half of their current colony of about nine-hundred were very closely related. A fourth were Kori's brothers and the other fourth were mostly his uncles. Another large portion were cousins of some sort and they didn't know relations after that. Roane was actually a cousin but that was not a concern in their culture. Their genes were varied enough for producing healthy children. A good portion of his brothers and uncles were in pods together. It wasn't as if they had all known each other growing up and only a Variat and a Varin could produce eggs; Varin being the non-egg-laying of their species, like Roane.

Roane looked irritated and crossed his arms over his broad chest. He looked like he was debating speaking of the other Variess.

"Arindal is a deviant. I have no interest in him." Roane said with no explanation. Kori rolled his eyes. Arindal was the oldest of his three known husbands; the nearly-eight-hundred year-old. So it was interesting to hear this. If the elder man was less crotchety than Roane it would at least be an interesting change in pace. Kori was almost excited.

"I'm a deviant. So it sounds like we'll get along perfectly. It's not as if I'll force you to fuck him." Kori said. Roane made another face at the language. Kori smirked. Pods were generally a group of three to five Variess who had agreed to a romantic and/or sexual partnership with one-another. Occasionally (as in the case with a pod containing the Variat) they were assigned.

"That is very... considerate of you." Roane said, tightly. Kori laughed softly.

"Do you even _have_ a sexuality?" Kori asked rudely. He had never seen any real evidence of it. It wasn't like the man had ever even tried to seduce him. He felt much more like a babysitter than his husband. What kind of pod were they going to be if the Varin wasn't even attracted to him? The thought of Roane not being attracted to him was a bit of a blow to Kori. What was wrong with him? He had never met another Variat. Was he ugly in comparison to others? His own Variat had died shortly after he had hatched so there was nothing really to compare. Roane glared up at him, refusing to answer his question. "What did Arindal _do_ to you?" Kori prodded again. Roane sighed and stared up at him.

"Will you not come down from there?" He changed the subject.

"Why don't _you_ come up? Or do your claws not work? Is it _hard_ for you? You must be, what, nearly two-thousand now?" Kori asked facetiously. Variess very rarely lived to eighteen-hundred, seventeen-hundred being the natural lifespan, though they didn't age much beyond how a human looked in his 45th year. Roane looked to be around twenty-five. Roane glared up at him.

"You know my age well enough, youngling. I am losing my patience. If I had been told how misbehaved you were perhaps I would have given up my chance with you." The Varin said. Kori's brows rose in amazement. He must have been truly bothering the man if he were actually choosing to insult _the variat,_ considering how proper he was. Kori wanted to pick at that a little more.

"Well, I wasn't given a chance to decide otherwise! You're a major pain in my ass!" Kori yelled down at him.

"And you are a _brat_!" Roane growled up at him. Kori's eyes widened and his mouth opened in surprise. He had yet to push Roane this far. Roane had begun "courting" him after his fifty-second hatching day, if that's what one could even call it. He had mostly just followed Kori around in place of his original guard, making sure he didn't die or get into trouble... as much as he could, of course. Kori often ditched him. He had gotten rather good at it. He had known Roane before he began "courting" him but the man had mostly dismissed him for being too young, so Kori had simply seen him as a cold older Variess of no interest besides his handsome exterior. He hadn't really understood what it had meant that he was his future husband until his thirtieth year.

Kori knew that Roane could climb the tree if he wanted to, he just thought it was beneath him. The man was baring his teeth, pointed canines displayed and quite sharp. His long black tail was whipping back and forth in annoyance. Kori liked seeing him like this a little _too_ much. It was very satisfying to see him actually break the facade and be... whatever this was. Kori swung back up to sitting on the tree limb so that Roane didn't see how much he liked seeing his teeth. He laid out on his stomach on it and watched from above as Roane seemed to be contemplating giving up his dignity to climb the tree after him or not.

"Why do you need me to come down? Why can't I stay up here?" Kori asked, playing it cool.

"Because you will fall and injure yourself and because Arindal is HERE." The man hissed at him. Kori contemplated the fact that his unseen husband had arrived and then shrugged. Roane snarled one last time before simply giving up. He walked off, tail swishing angrily back and forth behind him. Kori swallowed, blinking after him and grinding his erection into the branch. Why was Roane angry so sexy?

Once Roane was out of sight Kori climbed down the tree, ripping his pants on the way. Oops. That was the third pair this week. He looked down at his pants and fingered the rip high up on his inner thigh, wondering if it was worth it to repair or if he should just get new ones. The pair he wore were tight and black, made of shiny Cordent bark weave. He had sort of hoped the fact that his ass was on such display would horn Roane up a bit, but apparently not. He whipped his tail in annoyance and hurried through the grass back to the castle. Now would be an opportune time to escape.

If he wanted to enter the castle without notice he would need to take his secret route to his room to retrieve his things. He swiftly ran to the side of the castle and knocked twice on the flat stone. After a moment his cleverly-designed enchantment for foot and hand-holds jutted out like thorns from the side of the otherwise smooth exterior. He climbed quickly and as soon as his foot left the last spike and he was on the roof, they receded back into the stone. He ran quietly along the roof like a cat until he was met with a tower. He knocked again against the stone and more spikes appeared. He climbed up once more to the window into his bedroom. He made sure the spikes receded before he started getting ready to leave.

His room was covered in every kind of interesting contraption or book or item he had come across. He was a bit of a hoarder, but he liked it that way. It was inspiring to see his hoard of treasure every time he woke or entered his room. He could tinker away in there all day if he liked.

He hurried over to a strategically-placed ornamental rug on the floor and flipped it over, displaying a transmutation circle painted on the wooden boards. He was rather proud of this particular spell. He doubted many had made such a perfect transformative race spell. He had a mirror right in front of it so as to see the transformation happen.

Kori looked himself over for a moment, wondering what Roane disliked. He was a wisp of a Variess; thin and long-limbed, but graceful. He looked to be around perhaps twenty in human years. His skin was about as pale as a Variess could get and his cupid's bow lips were a soft blue color. His eyes were black which made them look quite large and as if they were entirely just pupil. 

Kori realized his hair had gotten so mussed that it was just an untidy mop on top of his head and he began to straighten it out with his claws. It was sky-blue and cut short enough that it wasn't in the way when he was climbing things or getting into mischief. He wondered if perhaps he was just too messy for Roane. His claws caught on multiple tangles and he frowned at himself. His face was masculine enough in human terms but just on the side of pretty and feminine like the women he had seen in America or the female Elves in his own realm. Most of the Variess were quite masculine looking. Perhaps Roane just preferred the very masculine-looking Variess. Maybe he was too thin and too pretty and too messy; too ... everything. For a second he was a little distraught. But why should he be distraught? He didn't care, right?

He looked at his tail and saw it was dirty and the tip was just as disheveled as his hair. The distinction between Variess and for instance, Elves or humans, were genders, colors, and reproduction, of course, but also the presence of tails, pointed teeth, and claws. Their ears were similar to elves and pointed, however Human ears were rounded. Variess hairlines tapered into a point at their necks that continued down in a line to disappear between the shoulder blades. Then their hair started again at the base of their back and grew down into their tail. Their tails were mostly covered in short fur but the ends were longer like the hair on their heads. It could be braided or cut short or however one pleased in the name of fashion or necessity. Kori's was cut about the same as his hair; enough to not be in the way but still be stylish to a degree. He began to comb that out as well, but then realized he would be transmuting it anyway so why should it matter?

He stopped his useless preening and knelt in the circle to put his hands on the wooden floor inside of it. He focused, drawing on the power inside of him. He was powerful; more powerful than any truly knew. He held life in his body that few else could give. Variats weren't taught magic. They weren't given a tutor in it because their life was to be devoted to a single task; producing more Variess. So perhaps no one knew the kind of power they held. Or maybe they had withheld the information. Either way, Kori had learned it on his own; had become quite skilled with it, and the lack of tutor only made his magic more unique and intricate because he wasn't brought up on the same system as the other Variess. He had taken from Elf, Variess, and witch magic and made something new.

The fact that he had persevered despite having no tutor thrilled Kori like nothing else. Power coursed through him, feeling electric over his skin like static. It was thrilling and the pleasure grew. He focused on his intention and the sigils beneath him. The magic built to a crescendo and it was almost like an orgasm as the spell burst over his skin; transforming him.

He watched in the mirror as his skin turned pink and creamy, his claws receded along with his teeth, his tail and the tips of his ears. He smiled at his reflection; revealing his dull human canines. He kept his hair blue. It was fashionable to dye one's hair in the other realm, so (though it was unnatural on humans) he wouldn't be considered overly abnormal. He still wanted to look like himself; just a human version. The only thing he truly missed was his tail. As he stood it was very apparent that it was missing. He swayed a little at the sudden change in balance. He had done this before, yes, but it was always a shock to walk and move around without his tail for balance.

He started shedding his clothes, wanting American clothing to blend in with, especially since his current trousers had a hole in the back with a button for his tail. He turned around to look behind him at his reflection in the mirror, inspecting his crestless and tailless back. It was smooth and creamy. Yes; he had done an excellent job this time. He was all human, with the exception of his internal Variat structures. He lacked a good amount of medical knowledge and was unsure if he should mess with that considering it was a bit more complicated than bone or muscle. He looked in every way a human male, at the very least; a cock and what would appear to be balls but was actually just camouflage in case of non-Variess invaders looking to kill the Variat. It had been a magical spell built in thousands of years ago. Only another Variess would sense he was the Variat.

He went to his wardrobe and pulled out the duffle that held all the things he brought with him when traveling to the other realm. Inside were a few changes of clothes, various toiletries, and transfigured American cash. He pulled out a pair of boxer-briefs, tight-fitting blue jeans, a navy button-down shirt, and socks. He looked for his shoes but they were nowhere to be found. Where had they gone? He searched but found nothing. He pouted. He would have to wear Variess boots. A pity. He pulled his human clothing on and tried the boots. They wouldn't fit under the jeans but they actually didn't look bad with the outfit. He left his necklace on; a piece fashioned of his late Variat's tailbone on a leather string. He tucked it into his shirt and once more admired his work in the mirror before grabbing his duffle and scrambling out the window again.

Before long he was in the forest where the portal lay less than a mile inward. He thought for a moment about the fact that he was dropping the opportunity to see his yet unseen future husband; Arindal. He wasn't sure if he cared. He was curious, but other than that, if he decided to stay in the other realm, it didn't matter.

He stumbled a few times over rocks and roots, clumsy without his tail, but he managed. Eventually he was in front of a large portal framed by woven trees. Inside the arch, the air seemed to flutter a little bit; That was the magic of the threshold into the Human realm. Without hesitation he walked through. The magic tingled on his skin and disappeared once he entered the other side.

The other realm's side of the portal was hidden within a cave. It was the best they could do. Too often in the past a human would unwittingly stumble through. Where once the wild was unkempt and untraversed, it was now almost impossible to hide something from wandering humans. They had to put glamors over glamors over cave openings. The cave was dark but for the glowing moss that had been strategically planted along the walls for light.

Kori walked down the tunnel and met the wall of vines that hid the cave entrance, pushed them aside, and came out onto the American hillside. He smiled, pleased with himself, and began his long walk out of the woods to the city.

Roane would be angry. It was "dangerous" and humans were "evil" or-something-or-other. It was only dangerous because he was the Variat and if anything happened to his _precious womb_ their colony wouldn't have anyone to reproduce for a few hundred years. It wasn't as if their people didn't live for over a thousand. It was hardly a big deal. And evil? He had yet to meet an evil human. Rude? Yes. Evil? What made humans different from Variess besides outward appearances? Their brains worked similarly. In terms of "evil" Variess were just as violent as any; they had wars and killed and did awful things to each other just as humans did. There was no difference. The only difference was that Humans warred among each other while Variess warred with other species; different races of elves, the fae, gnomes, etc... As far as the humans knew, they had no other intelligent life with which to war besides each other.

Upon entering the city Kori was met with some looks but only because he looked "alternative." It wasn't because they thought he was a different species. This was the fourth time he had come and he had taught himself fluent English with all the various easily accessible devices and software they had available. Originally he had used a translation spell, but that also required a certain level of hypnotism which just wasn't practical and could cause a disturbance if noticed. He knew his accent was awful and rather strange, but he was able to communicate well enough with the people.

He spent time in cafes, wandering the city, and in book stores. He enjoyed the cuisine at several restaurants, getting obnoxiously full, and as night began to fall, he looked for a hotel. In order to stay without a "credit card" he put a large down-payment on the room, but otherwise he didn't have any problems. Once he was settled there he came down to meet the person at the desk who had checked him in; a woman in her late twenties with blond hair. Kori found her intriguing because she had created a large bump on top of her head with her hair, making her head appear to be bigger or as if she were hiding something underneath. He wanted to ask if she was but knew it would most likely be considered strange so he held back. The bottom of her hair was curled around her shoulders and she looked more interesting than the general passerby. Perhaps it was the makeup? It did look different somehow. She had painted her lips in red and her eyes were lined in coal.

As he was checking in the woman had told him if he had any questions about the city or wanted tourist attraction information, he could ask her. So he approached the desk, just a little nervous.

_"Hello... Do you know where... the local younger people go to drink spirits and... see... artists?"_ He was nervous so he was having trouble finding the words. It had been a little while since he had spoken English. The woman blinked at him for a few moments, perplexed, then seemed to comprehend.

"Oh, like a bar with live music?" She asked, smiling. He nodded.

"Yes. Please. I am sorry. My English, it has been a little while since used." She seemed understanding enough.

"No problem! Languages are hard! I've been trying to learn Spanish but I'm awful! You're doing fine." Kori smiled back at her. It was nice to hear. "My friends are actually playing at The Torch tonight. They're really good; sort of an Indie rock band. They're called 'The Flying Pelvises.'" The girl giggled. Kori laughed too. He had no idea what "Indie rock" was but he had some knowledge as to the "rock" part.

"So they sound good?" He asked. She nodded.

"Well, I like them. The Torch has good drinks. It's like, a gastropub." Kori also had no idea what a "Gastropub" was but she said "The Torch" was a bar.

"I will go there. I am exploring so if you have more suggestions please tell." Kori said. He noted that he needed to use more contractions. He sounded too formal. He would work on it. The woman raised her brows.

"You're just traveling alone?" She asked.

"Yes?" Kori said, not sure what she was getting at.

"Why don't you talk to Demitri after they're done playing? He's the guitarist. Maybe he and the guys can show you around." She said. Kori was surprised by her friendliness. He liked it.

"Thank you for all this. My name is Kori." He said. He hadn't made friends so quickly last time he had been in the other realm.

"I know. I checked you in." The woman chuckled. "I'm Sam." Kori tried to keep his smile down to a minimum. It would surely be strange to be so excited over something so trivial as a simple interaction.

"It's nice to meet you, Sam." He had actually used a contraction this time. He mentally congratulated himself. Apparently he wasn't acting too weird, since he was making friends so easily.

"Nice to meet you too, Kori!" She laughed. "Sorry, I'm not normally so up in everybody's business, you just have good vibes, I guess." Kori didn't know what "Vibes" was but he understood mostly what she meant.

"Thanks, Sam. I will go to 'The Torch' then. Will you be coming after you're done with work?" He asked. Nice; another contraction. She frowned.

"No. I'm working all night, unfortunately. But you have fun!" She said. She handed him a piece of paper and he was surprised to see she had printed out a map to get to the bar. He thanked her again and promised they would talk later before starting off on his adventure.

The "Gastropub" was nice but packed when he walked in. He managed to find a place at the bar and after a few minutes the barkeeper noticed him and asked what he wanted to drink. He had completely forgotten what kind of refreshments humans normally drank. He knew they had beer and wine as they had in his own realm, but otherwise he wasn't sure. He wanted to try something different, that he couldn't get otherwise.

"Uh... what do you recommend besides beer and wine?" He asked, deciding to just ask, at the risk of seeming odd.

"My usual is whiskey but we have cocktails too." If Kori remembered correctly, hebelieved cocktails were a mixture of different drinks and alcohol.

"Uh... give me your best cocktail?" He said. The man nodded.

"Sure. Why don't you go with an 'old fashioned' it's bourbon with cherry juice and bitters. Sound good?" He asked. Kori had no clue, but he nodded.

"Sure" Kori used the term the man had used before and the man nodded. Later,

he was drinking his 'Old Fashioned' while the band seemed to be setting up. The drink was very strong and burned a little going down but that wasn't unusual for alcohol. He was used to it enough and he liked it.

Kori watched the band just plugging in instruments for awhile, unable to help noticing how incredibly gorgeous several of the men were. One human man wore a hair style that one didn't see in his realm; it was long on top and short on the sides and back. It might have been considered strange by other Variess but Kori liked it. His hair was black and it looked good on him. The man's skin was just a little tan and his eyes were dark and deep-set under heavy eyebrows. His lips were plush and softened his appearance just enough, though his cheek bones were quite sharp. As he moved around Kori admired the ripple of muscles in his arms and broad shoulders when he bent to plug cords in. Why was the way he moved so incredibly sexy? ...And _why_ was Kori always so horny lately? He made a face and shifted to hide how much he liked the human man. He was also getting a little wet so he turned away and stared at his drink, trying to think of things other than his climbing libido. He was having such a hard time with it lately. He knew it was because he was supposed to be mating soon, but he tried to forget about that.

Once the band began to start playing he turned his attention back, blushing upon looking at the black-haired male again. He couldn't help but look at the drummer too. He was full of energy and seemed to be enjoying himself. His light brown hair was less drastic than the black-haired man and was short but enough to have bangs that hung a little over his pretty light-colored eyes. His face was softer than the other's who was the guitarist. He believed the other man was the "bass" player so then that meant the black-haired human was Demitri; the one he was supposed to talk to later. He wondered if he could even manage to talk to him. If he were to join them as Sam had suggested, could he talk to the brunet either? The singer was very attractive too but something about Demitri and the drummer had him biting his lip.

The band played and Kori was intrigued. He liked "indie rock." It was very different than what they had at home. Somewhere during the first song he noticed the guitarist looking in his direction and after a few moments he realized the man was looking directly at Kori. His eyes widened and he felt his cheeks heat.

He hated how easily worked up he got over men. He had absolutely no experience and he was always horny lately so it was just a disaster. His gaze was intense and Kori fought not to squirm. He almost wanted to run but he couldn't even break their eye contact. After a few long moments Demitri broke eye-contact to focus on a solo. He looked to the drummer and they seemed to smirk at each other. Demitri's smirk was lop-sided and adorable. The drummer seemed to laugh at him from whatever unspoken information had passed between them.

Kori got lost in the music and mostly forgot about his cocktail. When the band finished playing, about an hour later, Kori wasn't even sure how to feel. He wanted them to keep going but he also wanted to meet Demitri. He was terrified of trying to speak to the man. Kori was sure he had the most awkward accent and he was a bit strange-looking and- He shook his head, trying to stop his racing thoughts. What the hell was wrong with him?

Kori swallowed the last of his drink, hoping for liquid courage but knowing he wouldn't even be tipsy. Variess had a much higher tolerance to spirits than humans did.

The band packed up their instruments and they talked for a bit before the guitarist broke off and headed toward the bar. That was probably Kori's most opportune moment to approach him. He got up off his stool and strode over.

He tried giving himself a mental pep-talk; He was the _Variat_. He could speak to a human man. He was the fucking mother of his people! He was like _royalty_. So he should be fine talking to a human man. 

As he walked over he fucking _tripped_ on a _chair leg_ , and without the balance or use of his tail he fell like a downed tree. He even squeaked pathetically as he did it, landing on his hands and knees and mortified. Well, so went that plan. He was heading back to the hotel; no way could he talk to the appealing stranger after such a ridiculous display.

A hand clasped his shoulder and he looked up to see _the fucking gorgeous guitar player_ holding out a hand to him. Kori's eyes widened to the size of saucers and he knew he was blushing way too much for it not to be noticeable. He took his hand and the man helped him up. He was _laughing_! Kori felt like he was going to keel over from embarrassment. 

"You gave me just the right opportunity. I hope you're alright?" He said with that lopsided smile from earlier. What did he mean by that? Kori swallowed, trying to find speech.

"Y-yes? Yes. I'm fine." He managed to say. His thick brows furrowed in concern.

"You're sure?" He asked. Kori nodded.

"Sorry- I'm not used to these places. I'm not allow-" He blinked, stopping himself. He was going to say he wasn't allowed in bars. What kind of idiot was he? The man still looked a little concerned but amused.

"Can I get you a drink?" He asked. His voice was low and velvety. Kori bit his lip and nodded, trying not to make a bigger fool of himself. "What do you like?" The man asked, and Kori swore he was looking him over; his dark eyes lingering. Kori remembered just then that most human men did not like other males. They had human women. Some men liked other males but how often did that occur? He wasn't sure. He didn't think it was common. Was he checking him out or was he just thinking about how willowy and stupid Kori looked?

"Uh- I'll just have what you're having." Kori said. He was at least getting the hang of contractions. The man turned towards the bar and ordered several drinks before turning back to him as he waited.

"I- I was actually coming to see you... Uh, your friend Sam at the Armada said I should say hi?" He grimaced. He sounded awful. "You're Demitri, right?" The human looked surprised, then pleased.

"I am... Who might you be?" He asked. The way he said it made Kori's skin prickle all over in a pleasant way. He had to be hitting on him, right? Kori's eyes widened a little before schooling his expression.

"I'm Kori... I'm just in town, visiting, and Sam said that maybe you would show me around? You- you really don't have to, really, but, I just thought I'd at least say hello." He said. He sounded awkward, he was sure. The human didn't change expressions, though.

"I wouldn't mind at all, Kori. I'm glad Sam sent you over. She certainly knows my type." He said with a cocky grin before turning and paying the bartender as he set the glasses down. Kori definitely knew he was hitting on him now. He fought not to squirm in excitement. Damn his husbands and his duties, he was going to flirt back and be _independent_ and _human_ and _not_ the Variat.

Demitri turned back and handed him a drink. It was a tumbler with amber liquid and ice. Demitri was tall for human standards but just an inch over Kori's height. It was so refreshing to not be looking up and up and up...

"Thank you..." Kori said, a little entranced. Demitri smiled at him and Kori licked his lips. Demitri's gaze dropped to his mouth for a moment.

"Why don't I introduce you to the band? We can relax here for awhile and talk."  
Kori nodded, excited but keeping his cool.

"Sure!"

Demitri grabbed the four drinks with surprising dexterity and lead him through the crowd to a table the rest of the band had commandeered. He placed the drinks on the table and gave his drummer friend another lop-sided smirk before introducing Kori.

"Guys, this is Kori. Sam sent him over. Kori, This is Alex-" He pointed to the drummer. "Andrew" He pointed to the bald man who had been playing the keyboard, "and Marv." He pointed to the singer. Kori waved, biting his lip.

"Hello..." He said, a little awkward. Alex, the exquisite drummer, stood and pulled out a chair.

"Come sit, Kori. By me." He added, smiling at Kori before looking to Demitri with a cocky smile. Kori's brows raised, wondering what they were doing. He would happily sit next to him, but he also wanted to sit next to Demitri. Demitri grabbed a chair from another table without asking, looking as if they were in some sort of competition, and shoved it in between Kori's chair and the singer, Marv's. He gave Alex a cocky smirk back. Alex snorted in amusement. Kori was confused but he sat in the chair, looking to Demitri for some sort of clue.

"Sorry, Kori. We have a little feud going. Don't worry about it." Alex said, leaning a rather muscley arm on the back of Kori's chair. Kori blushed. Gods, he couldn't help it. He hadn't gotten this much attention, well, ever. It simply wasn't allowed for anyone but the Variat's husbands to flirt with or touch or stare at him in a way that might be considered sexual. They weren't allowed to have sex until the ceremony happened, and that wasn't for another week or so. Roane hadn't even made any advances just courting Kori, though the Variat wasn't sure if he _would_ ever.

Demitri was giving Alex a rather scary glare. His face could go from a sly sort of friendly to scary and dark very fast. Alex mocked him with his own much-less scary glare in return. They looked very opposite of each other; both masculine, but one more broody and dark looking, the other more bright and friendly. Demitri was friendly, he just had a naturally broody face.

"Good god, would you both stop it? I've just about had enough." The keyboardist, Andrew, said, rolling his eyes. He looked to Kori apologetically. "If you want, you can come over here and get away from the horny bisexuals. Marv and I are straight and _not_ trying to run for creep of the year." Kori chuckled a little with him, blushing. He was pretty sure it was just a joke. He hadn't heard the term "bisexual" before, but based on the "bi" and the "sexual" he assumed it had to do with double... sexual... something. He wasn't sure if he could ask what that meant without embarrassing himself.

"Ignore him." Demitri said, nodding to Alex. "What are you doing here in our dinky little city?" He asked Kori, disregarding whatever competition he and Alex were having. Kori bit his lips.

"I'm just exploring, I suppose." He said, not sure what else to say. It _was_ what he was doing. Demitri raised a brow. Alex chimed in.

"You didn't come with anyone? Just yourself? Seems kind of lonely... " He said. Kori shrugged.

"I suppose. I had some free time." Kori said.

"Where are you coming from?" Demitri asked. Kori blinked at him. He hadn't really thought about that.

"Uh... Europe?" He blurted out. Oops. He hadn't meant for it to be a question! He knew Europe was foreign and that it had pink-skinned people. It made sense, right? Demitri gave him a strange look.

"You don't know?" Kori laughed a little, covering his mistake as best he could.

"I'm from, uh- Lithuania." He said, blurting out the name of a random country in his head. It had better be in Europe! He tried to think of a way to change the conversation. He took a sip of the drink Demitri had bought him. "What is this drink?" He asked.

"Whiskey. Jack Daniels." Demitri said. "It's not too strong?" Kori licked his lips and shook his head.

"It's good." He said. Alex appeared to be drinking what Kori thought might be beer. Alex asked what Kori thought of the music and Kori was so glad to have something to say. They all talked for a while and fell into a much easier rhythm, Kori beginning to relax. At one point Demitri wrapped a big arm around the back of his chair and Kori wasn't sure what to do about it except blush.

While they were talking about how Sam was texting about some strange occurrences at the hotel, Kori could have sworn he sensed a Variess. He swiftly turned around, eyes passing over the crowd quickly. They would have to be in disguise if they were there. Had Roane finally followed him into the other realm? He saw no one nearly big enough. That is until he saw a tall man by the bar. But he didn't recognize him. His hair was a very bright green color and he had striking features. Based on that alone he could certainly be a Variess. Kori stared for a moment then quickly turned back around.

"Someone you know?" Alex asked near his ear. The others were still talking amongst themselves. Kori shook his head.

"I thought so, but no... That tall man just reminded me of someone..." Kori said, brows furrowed. He couldn't be sure that the man wasn't a Variess. He would have to get closer to know. Who would follow him besides Roane? The tall man hadn't been looking at him... He turned again to glance back at him. He was obscenely tall by human standards. His hair was also very different; Long and straight and pulled back from his face by a tie. Some shorter green strands fell around his face. Most human men didn't have green hair that long. It almost reached his waist. And then he saw it: the ring. It was made of entirely almost void-like black material that shone red in certain light. It was definitely Variessien. "Fuck." He said it in his own tongue. Alex got the gist, though.

"You alright?" He asked.

"I just... Some people are looking for me."Kori said, not sure what else he could say that would make any sense. Alex looked concerned and suddenly protective.

"Are you in trouble?" He asked voice taking on a serious tone. Kori bit his lip and shook his head.

"Not necessarily. I've just been missing for a little while and they don't like it." He said. He didn't know what would happen if the guards were here. He wasn't sure what others' transfiguration spells would look like; would they look similar to how they normally looked such as was the case with Kori's spell? Kori didn't know why they would change to something that still looked eye-catching such as the green hair unless that was the case. Would they bring him back slung over a shoulder or something? No one had noticed before if he went to the other realm besides Roane sometimes but this time he was staying longer than he ever had. It had almost been fifteen hours. Alex recognized his worry and stood.

"Yo! Let's get going!" He said loud enough for the others in the band to hear. Kori's eyes widened in surprise. The others looked at him in confusion but they saw the seriousness of his face and in his tone. They all stood and Alex wrapped a protective arm around Kori's shoulders, leading him along with them to their car. Alex held the door open for Kori and Kori chewed his lip.

"You all don't have to go because of me... It's just a man..." He said. Alex shrugged.

"As long as you're okay with coming with us, we'd like to have you along." He said. Kori bit at his lip, smiling shyly. He nodded. Alex smiled at him and gestured to the car. "Hurry and get in the car so he doesn't see you. We'll load our equipment in and go. We can go somewhere else. It's no big deal." He said. Kori felt protected by this man. He felt close to him despite meeting him only an hour ago. It was nice having a friend who didn't know who or what he was. He climbed into the car and Alex shut the door gently before helping put equipment in the back. After, he slid into the driver's seat. Demitri came to sit beside Kori and the others got in before they sped off.

"Are you okay?" Demitri asked. His voice was low in his ear. Kori nodded.

"What the hell is going on?" Andrew asked.

"Some guys are looking for Kori and he saw one at the bar. We're just gonna go somewhere else." Alex said. Kori was embarrassed. He didn't want to drag anyone into his mess. Demitri wrapped an arm around Kori's shoulders.

"You're not in trouble, are you?" He asked. Kori made a pained expression.

"Not necessarily...? I'm just not supposed to be gone for as long as I have." Demitri frowned, looking as if he were trying to read him.

"You're not, I don't know, a spy, or something, are you?" He asked.

"What's a spy?" Kori blinked at him. Demitri chuckled.

"I think if you were a spy you wouldn't be so damned cute. And you would probably know what a spy was." Kori bit his lip and Demitri's eyes drifted to his mouth. He licked his lips as if wanting to taste him, and Kori followed the movement with his eyes. Just... wow.

Andrew was laughing.

"You think he's a spy?" He snickered. Demitri laughed too.

"Shut up." He told the bald man. Marv was laughing too. Alex wasn't.

"That's your first conclusion?" Alex asked, brows furrowed and looking at Demitri in the rear-view mirror. Demitri stopped laughing and grew serious, exchanging a look with the man. Kori didn't know what that was about but Demitri's arm around his shoulders got a little tighter. He felt safe; oddly safe with these men. He didn't have anything to worry about really; Variess would never harm their Variat, but it was nice to just feel protected by people who didn't see him as a tool.

"Well, as long as everything is okay and you're not in some serious shit, do you mind if Alex drops me off at home? My girl wants me back early." Andrew asked.

"I'm fine. Really. Go ahead." Kori said. Alex looked back in the rear view mirror.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm positive. At the very most the only thing that will happen is he'll either be tailing me if he can or he will tell me I need to go home and I'll just... have to." He said, shrugging. Alex didn't seem convinced but he nodded.

They dropped Andrew off at his house and then Demitri looked at him.

"Do you need to be dropped off anywhere or did you want to go back with us? I think we're going back to our apartment if you care to join. We have drinks and pool and stuff."

"Uh... why not?" He said. Demitri looked pleased and he waved his hand rudely at Alex.

"Driver, take us to our apartment." He said in a strict tone. Alex snorted and they drove off. Apparently Demitri, Alex, and Marv lived together.

"You know, this blue color looks really good on you. You even died your eyebrows. Commitment." Demitri said, tugging a little on a lock, looking amused.

"You have no idea." Kori said with a laugh. Demitri looked at him curiously but didn't ask. Alex cleared his throat and glared back in the mirror. Demitri held up his middle finger; a sign to tell him to "go fuck himself" if Kori remembered correctly.

"You both are really... strange. Are you playing a game or something?" He asked.

"Mm... just fighting for your affections. No need to reciprocate of course, but you seem amicable to it. What do you think?" Demitri asked with a wide cocky smile. Kori's mouth opened a little, feeling like he was about to drool with want and he felt his heart flutter a bit in his chest. His stomach felt warm.

"Uh-um... I like it?" He said a little breathily. Demitri seemed to almost purr. "Why are you fighting, though?" He asked. Demitri gave him an odd look.

"Because he likes you and I like you and you wouldn't want both?... probably?" Demitri answered with a questioning look. Kori realized his mistake. Were they a monogamous culture? He had never noticed!

"Uh... is that not normal here...?" He asked, grimacing. Demitri looked amused and curious.

"Well, not _mostly_ typically, no... but I'm open to things... things must be pretty different back where you live, huh?" Kori didn't know what to say. He nodded.

"There's mostly three or five people... together?" He said hesitantly. Demitri's brows rose very high.

"Wait, are you in a cult? Is that what happened? You ran away from a cult?" Alex asked, eyes wide in the mirror. Kori gave him a confused look.

"A cult?"

"Uh... like a bunch of people all living together in a closed-off community and they have weird religious practices that can be dangerous... or abusive." Alex explained. Kori wrinkled his nose.

"I don't think so?" He said. He had really fucked up this time. He really hated the idea of leaving these men, though. He wanted to enjoy himself and they were both so friendly and attractive. Demitri pulled him closer against him in a sort of hug.

"Hey, if you need protection, we have your back. Alex and I are part of a group who help victims of abuse." Kori's eyes widened in surprise. So they were soldiers besides musicians? It explained all the muscles, at least. He just shook his head.

"I'm fine. Really." Well, they had explanations for his weirdness... maybe it would be fine? Maybe he hadn't fucked up too bad?

Alex pulled into the parking lot of a tall building. It must have been their apartment. They all climbed out of the van and Kori stared up at the building. It was incredibly tall. Of course there were plenty of tall buildings around but he hadn't been inside the _really_ tall ones yet. They had castles that were quite tall in his realm but not nearly as tall as this.

They went inside, Kori helping with some of the equipment, and used the elevator to ascend the tower. It really wasn't much different once inside from the hotel he had rented a room in. They walked down the hall to their apartment and switched the lights on.

Kori looked around eagerly. He hadn't been in anyone's living quarters yet. Humans had so many gadgets. They had no magic but the gadgets, electricity, and technology more than made up for it. It was all fascinating and Kori walked around looking at everything with a bit of awe that he tried to keep off his face.

There were humming boxes all over the space in different areas. He wondered if he could or should ask what they all were. After a few minutes he realized all three men were watching him curiously. He was looking at a few of the boxes in the kitchen. Some he knew and some he didn't. There was a refrigerator, a stove and oven, but then there was an appliance above the stove that he didn't recognize. He had pulled the handle and looked inside. Apparently that was weird... He slowly closed it, looking mortified and like he had been caught doing something inappropriate.

"No need to be so freaked out. If you wanna look at things, be my guest. I'm guessing you don't have a microwave at home?" Alex asked. Kori nodded. "It just cooks food really fast. It makes it taste like shit, though. Dem hates it." Alex explained. He didn't make it seem like Kori was stupid when he explained it; he was just giving him an answer. All three men were gentle and kind. Kori felt safe.

Demitri was putting their instruments and equipment away but he grinned at Kori.

"Make yourself at home. Stay as long as you like." He said. Kori smiled back. It looked as if Marv had wandered off and Kori was left with the two men.

They ended up playing pool, the two teaching him and getting increasingly competitive with each other. It was fun, though a strange game. It involved a bunch of heavy balls with numbers on them and thin sticks that you poked them with.

"Have you always been friends?" Kori asked as Demitri guided him into a good stance, showing him just how to hit one of the pool balls. He was close enough that Kori could feel his body heat. Kori bit his lip, trying not to get too heated up over it. 

"No. We're step-brothers. We met when we were fourteen and fifteen. We started off hating each other but after a few years we became friends." Demitri said. Kori wasn't sure what was different about step brothers from just regular brothers. Why would they have only just met? He knew that humans were close with their siblings since they generally only had a few.

"What's a step-brother?" Kori took the shot and hit the ball. It hit another ball and it almost went into one of the holes in the corner. Next was Alex's turn.

"Our parents had kids with separate people, divorced, then married each other much later when we were teens. Make sense?" Alex asked. Kori thought and he nodded after a moment. He at least remembered what a 'divorce' was.

"So you are not related." He said.

"Not biologically, no. Definitely not." Demitri said in amusement. "I don't want to be related to that asshole." Alex smirked and made his shot. Demitri went next. They had explained this wasn't a real game since normally there were only two players and they were playing with three. Demitri made a move that hit one ball, then another, then another, and all three went into holes. It was rather amazing. It seemed Demitri was the better player and Alex was trying to beat him but failing.

Kori was next and he did it himself this time, managing to hit a ball but not get it in a hole. He liked being with them. They were intelligent, thoughtful, and treated Kori like a person instead of an object. He wanted _these_ men, not some random men assigned to him. These two were perfect; like something he had only dreamed about.

He thought about his options, watching them joke with each other and give him occasional heated looks. Why couldn't he touch and be touched? If they didn't breed was it really that bad? Kori bit at his lip, thinking about touching the two men and having them touch him like he had fantasized about since maturing.

Fuck. He was getting hard. He shifted, feeling his hole get wet. He almost couldn't breathe with how much he wanted them. But he had never even been _kissed_! He reminded himself, but it didn't matter, apparently; His breaths were coming out fast and he was watching them with a deep hunger he couldn't describe if he wanted to. He had known he would get more and more needy for sex as he aged further into his maturity, but it was getting a little ridiculous now. He felt like he would go crazy if he didn't get what he wanted.

After a few moments of Kori staring, both men noticed his attention on them. Demitri's eyes grew dark with obvious lust. Alex gave him a look like he was about to devour him. Kori didn't know what to do. They could feel his need. Did humans sense eachother the way Variess did? It certainly seemed like it. Suddenly it was like all inhibitions had been erased and both human men moved around the table toward him.

Demitri got to him first and Kori gasped when he was pulled up against his hard body. His lips descended on his and they kissed. Kori felt like he was going to melt into the floor. He was breathless but he kissed Demitri back, wanting more. Their lips moved together as if in a dance. The human man's lips were soft and the stubble on his jaw was rough. Sometimes their chins rubbed against eachother and he felt it against his skin. It was addictive and Kori wasn't sure if he could stop kissing him if he tried. It made his chest feel tight and his skin prickled. He loved it.

Demitri pulled back after a few breathtaking moments of pure bliss and Kori blinked up at him, panting and wondering why he had stopped. Then he was tugged back into Alex's arms. He turned and kissed him too. He was similar to Kori's height like Demitri, but he was just a bit taller. He wrapped his arms around the other man's neck and moaned into his mouth. Alex coaxed Kori's lips to open and he licked into his mouth, stroking over the Variat's tongue. Kori shivered and pressed closer.

Alex's hands were on Kori's hips and another set of hands joined him, running down to clutch his hips. No one had touched him like this before; not even close. He felt so overwhelmed by his arousal that he whimpered. Lips latched onto his neck, kissing and lightly nipping at his skin. He gasped, pulling away from Alex's kiss momentarily, just a little shocked by everything that was happening. 

"Alright?" Alex asked, nipping at his lower lip. Kori nodded.

"Yes..." He whispered before smashing his lips back against his, deepening the kiss and reaching back to slide his fingers into Demitri's hair as he sucked on his neck. Alex pulled him closer and Kori let out a small noise of shock and pleasure when he realized he could feel the man's cock through his jeans. He keened for it. He needed to be bred and fucked. Demitri pressed in against his back. He could feel his arousal too. Kori panted against Alex's mouth, fighting with himself, trying to calm. It was like fighting a dragon. It just wasn't done.

"Oh, baby..." Demitri murmured, sounding a little concerned. "This can't be your first time...?" He asked, sounding almost guilty. He licked Kori's earlobe despite his questions, as if he couldn't stop himself. Kori whimpered. "Fuck." Demitri swore right next to his ear in a low aroused growl. Alex pulled back, brows furrowed and looking like he was also battling with himself. Kori panted, needing it. He needed to be bred. By both of them.

"We can't do this. You're too... new... we can't just take you." Alex said, his voice gravely and looking like he was forcing himself to say it. Kori shook his head adamantly. They couldn't stop. They just couldn't. He would surely die without it.

"I need it. Please. I need it." Kori pleaded breathlessly, leaning back against Demitri as he continued to kiss at his neck. Demitri snarled like an animal.

"Fuck!" He swore and yanked Kori around to face him, kissing him hard, nipping at his lips and lapping at his tongue. His hips rocked against Kori's and Kori groaned, feeling like he could cum just from that alone. He was suddenly pulled back against Alex's chest, away from Demitri's demanding lips.

"Good god, Dem, _think_ for a second." Alex beseeched his step brother. Demitri didn't take his eyes off Kori, looking like a predator who had cornered his prey. He swallowed and looked as if he were trying to think clearly and failing. He dragged his gaze away from Kori and looked to Alex.

"You're right." He said, voice low. He looked at Kori, almost pained. "You're a virgin. You don't know us. That was your first kiss, wasn't it? God, how the hell did you make it this long without being kissed?" Demitri asked, shaking his head in disbelief. Kori bit his lips, blushing and looking down his body to the bulge of his cock in his pants. Kori let out a noise of small noise of need.

Demitri gritted his teeth and palmed his bulge, then looked at his brother, eyes dark. 

"We take him gently. No fucking. At least... not _today_..." He said, negotiating with the other man holding Kori. Alex's hand slid over Kori's stomach, making him shiver with excitement. Yes. Take him. They were all panting like they'd ran several miles. Alex nodded in agreement and then they pounced on him again.

Demitri pressed their lips together in a desperate kiss, teeth clashing, grabbing hold of Kori's hips, his grip solid. Kori pressed against him, rocking their hips together as Alex rolled his hips against his ass. Kori moaned into the other man's mouth. Demitri pulled his lips away from his to kiss along his jaw and spoke against his skin as if he couldn't detach himself from it.

"Bed. My bed." He told his brother. Alex agreed and before he knew it Demitri was hoisting him up into his arms and carrying him down the hall. Kori's eyes widened and he let out a pleased giggle, latching onto the man as he continued to mouth at his ear. Kori's whole being was filled with adrenalin and he ached with need.

He had a few seconds in which he questions his actions; Was this bad? Was this a mistake? They weren't Variess. It occurred to him, vaguely, that whatever made an imprint happen to mates in a pod was happening here. He hadn't known that it was a possibility with humans. They could imprint? But this his thoughts and ability to rationalize were taken from him when he was dropped onto the bed and the two men moved on him like two predators on fallen prey.

Alex took his lips and slid a hand up under his shirt. His fingers on Kori's bare skin alone made him arch. Demitri was undoing his pants. Kori keened when Alex pinched his nipple between forefinger and thumb. Stopping himself from bucking.

"Oh-" He tried to speak but then Demitri pushed his shirt up and latched his lips onto the bud of Kori's nipple. Kori almost came, crying out only for Alex to capture his lips, strangling his cry.

Kori felt so wet. His underwear must be soaking through, he just knew it. He wanted something inside him so badly that he couldn't think, that was until he remembered human men didn't have cloacas and certainly didn't get wet, _because they didn't lay fucking_ _eggs_!

He parted his lips from Alex's, a little panicked, and swallowed, trying to get a grip on himself.

"I- I have to tell you- We have to-" Demitri's hand was in his pants and had taken a hold of his cock. Kori cried out, arching his head back and closing his eyes. _So good so good so good-_

"What is it, Baby?" Alex murmured into his ear. Kori moaned low and long, rolling his hips.

"We have to stop b'cause... I'm not... human." Kori whimpered. Alex was rolling his nipple between thumb and forefinger.

"Wha'd'you mean?" Alex said breathlessly, running his tongue over Kori's earlobe.

"I mean I'm- I'm like an elf- I have different parts- I'm not from here-" Demitri managed to stop groping him but his lips stayed on his nipple and Alex pulled back. They were all panting heavily like it was more work to stop than to keep going.

"What are you saying, Kori?" Alex asked, his voice gruff. Demitri seemed to have lost concentration again because his eyes closed in pleasure and he grabbed Kori through his pants again.

"I'm not human. I'm Variess. I'm like- like elves from human 'myths.' Don't you get it?" Demitri _bit_ him. Not hard but not gently either. Kori arched up and cried out, grabbing at his head. How was he going to be able to tell them like this?

Alex brought a foot up and shoved at Demitri's head with it until he was forced to let go. Demitri growled low and glared at the other darkly. Kori mourned the loss. He needed it so badly.

"Like _elves_?" Alex repeated incredulously. He was already running his fingers back up Kori's ribcage.

"Yes- magic. Tall magic creatures?" He tried, squinting as if that would help him concentrate on not letting them just fuck him. "I'm from the other realm; the one we closed off from you. I'm different from humans. I have different parts... I get wet. and I think I'm imprinting on you." Demitri looked at him for a moment, licking his lips, eyes narrowed. He didn't even look surprised.

"Then imprint on me. Doesn't matter. You're _mine_." He said darkly. His voice was deep and delicious like nothing else he had ever heard. He thought maybe it was his favorite noise. It made Kori all the more aroused. He couldn't think with the man looking at him like that. 

"Jesus, Demitrius, you possessive fuck, get a hold of yourself." Alex beseeched him. Demitri looked at his brother like he was crazy for trying to stop them from fucking Kori's brains out.

"I- I can prove it." Kori said, trying to think of a fast way to show them. He held up his hand and summoned a ball of energy; pure light. It was an easy spell. He didn't undo his transfiguration; it would be too difficult. Especially as brainless as he was at the moment. Both men's mouths dropped open and they stared for a good few moments, but a few moments more and Demitri just shrugged.

"Whatever you are doesn't matter. You're mine. I see weird shit all the time." He said. It was coherent until his eyes raked back over him again and his voice turned gravely once more. "I don't need to know everything. Just. let. me. _have you_." The man said, eyes dark and seeming more animal than human. Kori tried to rationalize that Demitri was being too quick to just accept what he had said. Alex seemed to be struggling with himself.

"This-this is impossible. Or- It should be... but with everything.. And Demitri..." He shook his head, looking confused. Kori didn't think he could hold himself back from begging like a whore much longer. "Let me see what you're talking about, Baby..." Alex said after a moment, stroking his jaw. They were so strangely trusting of him, and Kori of them. He didn't think much before tugging his jeans and underwear down. They were so wet it was kind of embarrassing. Demitri tugged them off and Kori spread his legs, showing the slick on his inner thighs.

"I have slick... I'm different. Sort of... both?" He said, blushing profusely. He had never been bared to anyone like this.

Demitri's mouth opened, staring, eyes going from surprised to hungry in an instant. He lifted Kori's legs, spreading them and exposing his hole. Kori whimpered, mortified, and covered his face.

"Fuck... He is wet... like a girl... fuck..." Demitri said, panting, and then Kori felt something hot and wet. Oh god was he licking?! His eyes snapped open and he watched Demitri lap at him and groan. He ran his tongue around his rim and a low growl rumbled in his chest. Kori whined, shuddering in pleasure, and Demitri lifted his head, looking at Alex, mouth open in shock.

"He tastes like pussy honey." He said with a note of wonder in his voice. " _Fuck_. He tastes like pussy honey but better. He tastes so _good_." He said, voice low and gravely. Demitri's fingers skimmed over Kori's opening and the Variat whined again. He was going to cum!

Alex stared for a moment, and then he was taking Demitri's place between his legs, holding him wide open and exposed. He ran his tongue around Kori's sensitive rim and lapped as more slick escaped. Kori keened and his cock twitched. The other man continued to eat him, pressing his tongue to his opening. The tip went in and Kori was sure he squealed enough for even the other realm to hear. Alex stopped and locked eyes with his brother, unspoken words between them before Alex gentled, taking one last lick at him before letting his legs unfold. He leaned back up and gave Kori a softer kiss.

"Alright?" He asked. Kori nodded dazedly. Why had they stopped? His whole body felt hot and needy. Demitri took his turn, kissing him too. He could taste himself on their tongues.

"We don't care if you're different. We want you." Alex said, voice gruff and nuzzling in against his neck, kissing his skin. His fingers trailed down his belly to grab his hard cock. Kori cried out.

"B-but we're imprinting-" He gasped.

"Good." Alex said. Kori couldn't argue with that and he just nodded, letting Demitri pull his shirt off the rest of the way. He nipped at Kori's nipple one more time before sliding down his body and engulfing his cock with his mouth. Kori cried out and Demitri held his hips down to stop him from bucking. He was so much stronger than he was. Alex tipped Kori's head back to kiss him again, lips demanding. Kori shivered and he reached to touch Alex's chest. He wanted to see them. The idea of seeing their bodies made his mouth water. He pulled back, chest rising and falling rapidly as Demitri ran his tongue up the underside of his cock, looking like he was very much enjoying himself.

"I want to see you too..." Kori murmured to Alex. "Both of you." He tugged at Alex's shirt in suggestion and Alex's lips twitched in a smile. He reached behind him, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulled it over his head, then worked on the fly of his jeans. God, he was so built... Kori looked to Demitri who was sucking on one of his balls. The man was definitely single-minded on this. Kori giggled through a moan and tugged lightly on his ear.

"Can I see your- your-" He stopped. What was the word for cock in American? Demitri pulled away from Kori's groin, letting go of his ball with a deliberate popping sound, and smirked.

"My...? Dick?" He asked, teasing him. He was already undoing his belt. Kori blushed and nodded. Demitri undid his pants but then pulled his t-shirt off before yanking his jeans down. He wore no underwear and his cock was thick and big. He wondered what it would feel like inside of him and he squirmed. It was way bigger than Kori's. Kori looked down at his own and back. Was his small?

"Really, Dude?" Alex asked with a snort. Demitri held up one hand as if to say "what can ya do?" as Alex pulled his jeans off.

"Hey, I'm not cut and I forgot to do laundry 'cause Ann wouldn't shut up last night." Demitri said with a wide grin. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Slut." He muttered, snickering, then tugged his boxers off, his cock springing up and hitting his lower belly. His dick didn't have a foreskin like Kori and Demitri, and he vaguely wondered why. It was pretty, though, and almost as big as his brother's.

"Ann isn't your-" Kori asked, a little concerned. Demitri shook his head.

"She's like a client." He said, giving himself a quick stroke before crawling over Kori and giving the Variess a heated kiss. Now that Demitri was naked and bared to him, he could touch all his firm hard muscles unencumbered like he had been wanting to since he had first seen the man. He was built for hard work; muscles thick and bulging. He had dark hair on his chest and running down from his navel to his cock. In contrast, Alex was built like a swimmer; long lean muscles and slim hips. He had no hair on his chest unlike Demitri but he had a trail of nearly blond hair running in a stripe down from lower belly to groin. 

Kori ran his hands down from Demitri's firm pecs, over his ribs and his abs, before taking his fat cock in hand. The human groaned and thrust his hips, cock sliding through his grip. With his other hand, Kori reached out to wrap his fingers around Alex's length, stroking it along with Demitri's. The other man let out a soft grunt and he leaned in to suck at his earlobe. Despite his ears being transfigured, they were still just as sensitive, and Kori mewled into Demitri's mouth, shivering. He loved touching them; feeling their bodies move and the soft silky skin of their cocks in his hands.

Demitri pulled back after a moment and gave Alex a hungry look before he sat up against the headboard of his bed.

"Come sit in my lap, Sweetheart." He said to Kori. Kori bit his lips before climbing on, his back up against Demitri's front, legs spread over his thighs. The human man's cock jutted up between Kori's legs and rubbed up against his own far-less impressive one. It was very obvious how deep it would go if Kori were to be impaled by Demitri's staff. How was that supposed to go inside him at all? Still, he wanted it, and the thought of being pierced by it made him shiver and pant.

Demitri took both their cocks in his hand and stroked them, leaning in to speak next to Kori's ear.

"I stroke us, and you suck Alex, yeah?" He suggested, looking over to the other man with a wide mischievous grin. Kori's mouth watered and he nodded, squirming in Demitri's lap at the feel of their cocks pressed together and stroked. The human's hands were calloused but it felt wonderful regardless.

"I- I might not be very good..." Kori said, a little worried. Alex shook his head and stood on the bed.

"Nonsense. Even so, there's a certain novelty to having someone's first time, I think. So far you've been excellent." Alex said with a grin. He threaded his fingers through Kori's blue hair, and Kori grinned back, cheeks pinkening.

Alex's thick cock was right in front of his face and he reached out to take it in hand, his other hand grabbing his lean hip to pull him in. He let out a little moan as Demitri's thumb ran over his slit, spreading precum over the head as he nibbled at his neck. It was just a little strange seeing his cock so pink in comparison to Kori's untransfigured blue-tinted one, but he liked it regardless and he leaned in to run an experimental lick over the bulbous head. He tasted salty precum and he licked his lips before leaning in to take it into his mouth. Alex made a low groan and Kori mirrored it, feeling like he was coming undone.

"Good job. Just like that." Demitri purred to him in encouragement as Kori stroked at Alex's cock while sucking him down. He used his hand as an extension of his mouth, remembering how Demitri had been sucking him, and took him deeper. Kori let out a whimper when Demitri slipped his hand between Kori's legs to gather slick on his hand before bringing it back up to wet their cocks. It made the sensations all the more maddening and Kori closed his eyes, breathing hard through his nose as he bobbed his head.

"Ah... So good, Baby..." Alex murmured to him. Kori made further noises of need, feeling his release coming. He didn't want to stop. He went a little faster, being careful not to drag his teeth. He was sure this was much easier without his fangs and was thankful for that. Demitri groaned near his ear.

Kori squirmed in the human's lap and moaned as his hand stroking over them went faster. He remembered him licking over the underside of his cock just below his head and he did the same to Alex with him in his mouth, who seemed to like that very much, if the noise was any indication. He closed his eyes, dropping his head to his chest. 

Kori could tell he was soaking Demitir's lap with slick. It was a little embarrassing but he couldn't think well enough to care too much and Demitri ocassionally ran his fingers back over his hole to gather more to stroke them with. His other hand slid up his belly to his chest to pinch his nipple and Kori whimpered. He was going to cum. He gasped around Alex's cock and squeezed his eyes tight, his cock jerking and spurting in Demitri's hand. He sucked the other brother's cock as he finished, mewling around it. Demitri continued stroking and he groaned low, the noise rumbling low in his chest as he came too, letting go.

Kori breathed hard through his nose, exhilarated, the euphoria washing over him. He sped up his bobbing motions as he sucked on Alex's dick. Would he spend in his mouth? He wasn't sure if that was a thing. He wanted him to. Was that dirty? Was that even something someone did? But they had licked at his slick like ambrosia so it must have been. Alex fisted his hair and swore.

"Sweetheart, I'm gonna cum- you don't have to swallow- know it's your first t- fuck!" He saw Kori shake his head and he panted harder, unable to stop himself anymore. His cock swelled and then he started to cum into Kori's mouth. Alex yelled, dropping his head back, Kori watching his face contort as he finished. Kori swallowed and swallowed as much as he could, some spilling down his chin, blushing as he did something he hadn't even thought about before. He hadn't known.

He pulled back when the human was finished and wiped his chin with his hand, sucking his fingers clean. Why not? He had already swallowed most of it. It had tasted bitter and salty but not unpleasant.

Alex swore again and dropped down onto the bed with them, kissing Kori fervently. The Variess leaned back against Demitri, wrapping his arms around the other brother's neck. Alex pulled back and smiled mischievously at him before looking to Demitri, suddenly looking as if realization had hit and he was struggling with something; he looked a little confused, then nervous, then whatever inhibitions he had fell away and he leaned in to press his lips to Demitri's. Demitri groaned and they kissed for a long moment, Demitri wrapping one hand behind Alex's neck to keep him there. Eventually they pulled back and stared at each other for a moment as if in shock before their faces broke out in sly self-satisfied grins. Kori had leant away to watch them, lips parted, and his cock jerked, becoming interested again. He licked his lips, silently telling himself to calm down. Both humans kissed him on either cheek then they relaxed, Alex moving to sit against the headboard next to them.

Kori leaned his head back against Demitri's shoulder, closing his eyes, and sighed. He had never known that sort of pleasure; had never thought it would be that good. For a long time he had thought of it as some sort of burden, despite how much he wanted it. It wasn't a burden. Hell, it was a gift from the gods. After a minute of basking, Demitri's voice broke the silence.

"It's... it's blue." He said, voice sounding shocked. Kori opened his eyes.

"What is?" He asked. Demitri was looking at his hand; their mixed together spend. There was white and a light clearish blue color. Kori grimaced.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to enchant that part. I didn't think I would need to." He said, blushing furiously. It really would never have occurred to him that human spend was a different color, anyway.

"You-you're really..." Demitri didn't finish the sentence. Both brothers were staring at him, mouths slightly agape.

"You're really not human." Alex murmured. Kori closed his eyes, dropping his head and nodding, feeling the euphoria leave him almost instantly. "Hey, it's alright. I just hadn't completely processed it. I don't regret anything. That was fucking amazing." Kori bit his lip, looking to him, concerned.

"We imprinted... I know it was nearly impossible to stop what we were doing but when you imprint on someone, it's permanent. I'm so sorry. I didn't know what to do." Kori said, feeling incredibly guilty. He had just changed _everything_.

"Is that why it was so intense? What does that mean, exactly?" Alex asked. Kori bit his lips before answering.

"I don't think we were imprinting right away but you might have been influenced by my being the Variat. I didn't try to. I just wanted you so badly..."

"I _really_ don't care. I would have wanted you even if you're... whatever that is." Demitri said, kissing his neck.

"Me too." Alex said, looking convinced of this. "We've always had the same tastes. That's why we're so competitive. We wanted you as soon as we saw you." He reached over to the side of the bed and gave his brother a box of paper. Kori thought he remembered it being a dispenser for disposable napkins. Demitri wiped his hand with them as best as he could and threw them in the waste bin by the bed.

"But then... what does imprinting mean? I know birds do it...?" Demitri said, wrapping his arms back around Kori's waist. Alex leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"It's a permanent bond. It happens when people are extremely compatible. It wouldn't have happened if we weren't. It doesn't go away. I... I don't think it just happened between you and me, I think it happened between the two of you too." He said. Alex blinked at him.

"You mean... we're bonded too?" He asked, looking amazed. Kori swallowed and nodded.

"...Wow." Alex said, dumbfounded and looking down at the bedspread in shock. Demitri nodded behind him in agreement.

"I didn't know you wanted me back. I didn't want to cross the line..." Demitri murmured. Alex blinked and looked up at him.

"I _always_ wanted you. Always." He said, his gaze on Demitri intense, as if trying to convey something not explainable in words. Demitri's mouth dropped open. They stared at each other for a moment. Kori bit at his lips, getting hot and bothered again.

"I don't regret it. I don't regret being bonded. To either of you." Demitri looked to Kori. "I know we don't know each other very well, and maybe this was an accident, but the connection was instantaneous." Kori smiled, overly relieved, and he leaned in to kiss him. They kissed for a few moments, tongues licking and lips moving smooth and lazily. Everything had been so fevered before and now they could take their time. Kori pulled back when Alex spoke.

"I don't regret it either." He said, softly. Kori smiled tentatively at him. He reached out to pull Alex into a kiss too. When he pulled back Alex looked at him.

"Do you have female parts too? Is that why you were wet?" He asked. Kori looked down and covered his face with his hand, embarrassed, before nodding.

"It's like... reptiles..." He murmured. Demitri held him closer.

"If I'm not concerned about the blue cum then I'm not concerned about that." He said with a low laugh. Kori looked up, biting his lip nervously.

"Are you sure?" Demitri nodded and he saw Alex nod too.

"How are you both okay with this? You're human... You didn't know about any of this. I know some tales of the old world have been passed on to the current times but I don't think you have heard of Variess." Alex looked at his brother. Demitri was silent for a moment.

"I see ghosts." He finally murmured, a little too quietly, but Kori heard him because of his low voice. He sounded ashamed of it. "I guess I can see anything as possible. Alex knows about it... I don't tell anyone else, but... I see them." Alex looked frustrated.

"You don't have to be _ashamed_. I've told you over and over; you're not crazy. I _believe_ you." Alex said, as if this were an old argument. Demitri's face turned stoic and dark almost instantly but then another moment passed and he relaxed, nodding.

"We have people that see ghosts too. It's not strange." Kori said, perplexed. "It's considered a gift. I didn't know humans had it. I know humans occasionally see spirits just like us when the veil is thin but... you see them all the time, right? That's what you mean?" Demitri nodded. "They're called Yorisvu Akain. Translated it sort of means... 'life and death walkers.' You are in both the spirit world and this one at the same time." Demitri looked at him, brows furrowed.

"It's just... a thing... where you come from; the other realm." He said as more of a doubtful statement. Kori just nodded.

"You said you think anything might be possible. We use magic in the other realm. It's normal. Why wouldn't seeing spirits be?" Kori said, brows furrowed. Demitri's face grew less dark and Kori could see relief in his eyes. Kori was horrified that he had been struggling with this. He kissed his cheek. Demitri gave him a slight smile.

" _God_ , I've been yelling at him _forever_ about this but you come and fix it in a _second_." Alex said, good-naturedly teasing his brother with a roll of his eyes. Demitri wacked him in the thigh with his knee.

"You said we have tales from the 'old world.' what tales?" Alex asked.

"I know you know about elves and fae and gnomes... there's just other tales your people lost through the ages. People have gone in and out of the realms for a long time; we had many more portals about three- thousand years ago but we had to shut them. Now there's only a few. Only a handful of humans have gone to the other realm in the past two-thousand years." Kori explained.

"There's really actually _elves_?" Alex asked, sounding incredulous. Kori nodded.

"Yes but they and my people don't really get along... They think we're savages. I don't really know why, though. They just think they're better than everyone else." Kori said, scrunching his nose up with distaste.

Demitri laughed. "Those damned jerky elves." Kori nodded. Alex smirked, then his smiled dropped as realization crossed his face.

"You're not going back, are you?" He asked. Kori chewed on his lips.

"If I can avoid it, no." Kori said, looking down.

"If you can't avoid it?" Alex asked.

"Then I guess I'll have to go back. But we are bonded. They will have to allow you to come... I think you have to. Mates have a hard time staying away from each other if they've imprinted. I don't know how they'd react. This has never happened before. Maybe long in the past but not now." Kori explained.

"We'd be going back to the other realm with you?" Alex asked, wide-eyed. Kori made a pained face.

"I am so sorry... I didn't mean to alter your lives. None of this was in my plans... I just didn't want to be the Variat. It's... it's too much." He said, voice cracking and eyes beginning to water. He would _not_ cry! He wouldn't! Demitri held him close, chin resting on his shoulder. They were both so incredibly sweet, it just made Kori want to cry more.

"What's the Variat?" He asked. Kori bit his lip.

"Humans have females that produce your offspring... my people only have me. It's sort of like... bees? There's only two other Variats currently in my realm's world. All other Variess are only male. Many times, a Variat is never born by another Variat and we go hundreds or even a thousand years without one. So... I'm just supposed to... populate. For about four-hundred or five-hundred years. Then if I survive without being assassinated I get a break. I've asked my fathers to let me be relieved of my duties since there are two others but they denied me." Both men were staring at him again.

"What- How long do you live? How old are _you_?" Alex asked, disbelieving. 

"I'm... fifty seven. I just came into my breeding years a few years ago..." Kori said, blushing. "We live to be around seventeen-hundred naturally, if we aren't killed." Demitri sat there with his chin on Kori's shoulder for what felt like a full minute while Alex ran a hand through his hair, taking it all in.

"You're just... all alone and... your whole point is to make babies?" Demitri asked, sounding sad. Kori didn't even want to get into the whole egg thing. It would sound too bizarre to them. Hopefully he wouldn't have to explain it. He simply nodded.

"Yes... I guess." Kori said. "I guess it's kind of selfish of me to skirt my duties, though... I'm not even sure if the populating is the thing that bothers me so much as feeling like I owe someone sex for their deeds." He said, brows furrowed.

"You're not selfish. It's natural to feel that way." Demitri insisted, looking angry. He scooted them down the bed and rolled them onto their sides to lay down then gestured for his brother to come lay down too. Alex laid beside Kori, moving in close so Kori was sandwiched between them. The Variess bit his lip, blushing. He was in bed with two naked human men. He knew he had just done a hell of a lot more than just laying with them, but he was still taken aback. Alex reached up to stroke Kori's cheek.

"What do you mean by deeds?" 

Kori swallowed. It was strange to them. He knew this. All of it was almost obscene to humans. They were allowed their freedom. He was not. It was embarrassing. Yet they were being so understanding.

"I am to have five husbands. They are all chosen for me based on deeds or services they have done for our people as well as their attractiveness. I don't know who three of them are but Roane is a soldier. He saved the Variat of his own colony and was sent to oversee me until I came of age. He hates me... or at least it seems that way. It's made me question... everything. The other is Arindal. He's an ambassador. Or he was. He's retired. He's _over nine-hundred years old_. How am I supposed to get along with someone that old?" He asked, feeling sick.

The brothers made faces akin to his own. Alex stroked his cheek and neck and Demitri stroked over his hip, trying to comfort him.

"We won't let them take you. Our job is to protect people. We'll protect you too." Demitri murmured.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I re-wrote the first chapter a bit so it flowed better. Just FYI.

Kori awoke to being nearly smothered to death by two heavy sleeping human men. For a moment he was a little dumbfounded. He laughed quietly despite himself. Demitri immediately woke at the noise. Kori was facing him and saw his eyes open; a dark brown surrounded by thick black lashes.

"Kori?" He murmured, brows furrowed.

"Sorry." Kori whispered, trying not to disturb the other brother. But he was already awake as well. Demitri smiled at him.

"Beautiful..." He said softly, moving closer only to smother him further. His arm wrapped around him tight and the tattooed snakes on his arm seemed to stare at him. Kori ran his fingers over the marks.

Alex moved in closer as well, if that was possible, wrapping an arm tight around his waist and pressing his face in against his neck, kissing. Kori moaned. He loved this. He had only ever slept alone.

After a bit of snuggling and kissing they left the bedroom, Demitri intent on making them some breakfast. Marv was already at the kitchen table drinking from a mug. Kori sniffed the air; whatever he was drinking smelled bitter and almost burnt. He scrunched up his nose.

Marv looked up from his phone and raised his brows at them.

"Well, you all had an eventful night. Thanks for the music. It was really enlightening." He said, making a face at Alex. Alex stuck out his tongue childishly. Demitri was already pulling items out from the fridge. He chuckled. It took a moment for Kori to realize what Marv meant and his cheeks turned scarlet, mortified. They had probably been obscenely loud. He hadn't even thought about it.

"You're just jealous." Alex said, dropping down into a chair.

"I knew you two were eventually going to do something like this. You know you're brothers, right?" Marv said, snickering. He saw Kori's face and shook his head. "Don't _you_ be embarrassed. One of them is always making someone scream. It's really obnoxious." Marv told Kori upon seeing how horrified he was. Alex grabbed the Variess' wrist and pulled him over to come sit, pulling out a chair. Kori reluctantly sat, feeling like he could melt into the floor.

"We're not related you twat." Demitri said from behind them, heating up some oil in a pan on the stove.

"Still weird." Marv said with a smirk.

"You just don't like the noise because you're not the one doing it. We don't complain when you have someone over." Alex replied. Marv shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough."

"Kori, you look like you're going to implode. Breathe." Alex said, rubbing his shoulder. Kori chewed on his lips but he took a breath in through his nose.

"Kori, don't worry too much. I put head phones on after the first few minutes. Didn't hear much. I'm just giving them a hard time because they're such assholes." Marv said, trying to cheer Kori back up or at least get him to stop being a tomato. Kori nodded a little, giving him a small self-conscious smile.

Demitri was moving around the kitchen at a fast pace making something that at least smelled good. Kori watched him, interested. He never really watched the cooks in the castle make anything so it was interesting seeing him do stuff. He was mixing something in a bowl. It definitely wasn't meat. Kori had tried a few things in the other realm that were not meat-based and they were mostly good. He wasn't overly fond of eating a bunch of vegetables, though. His people were mainly carnivores but would occasionally use other ingredients to make interesting meals.

Then Demitri was grating something round and root-like up, then he was getting another pan. Then he was frying two things at once; one in each pan, while he poured some more stuff into a pan and heated that up. It smelled sweet. He was good at multitasking. Kori watched him whipping around the kitchen, moving faster than Kori would think a man his stature would. Surely a warrior. Only a warrior would be as graceful with so much thick muscle.

Eventually he was putting things on plates and then bringing them over to the table, placing a large plate in front of each person. In the center of the table he put some sort of thick amber liquid in a small pitcher, as well as some glasses and a large pitcher of yellowish liquid. Then he sat down himself.

Kori looked down at his plate and saw there were several yellow-colored circular things placed on top of each other that sort of looked bread-like. Berries were scattered on top. The grated root-like item had been fried and made into a sort of pile. Marv poured the thick liquid over the yellow bread, as did Alex. Kori watched them and decided not to put the liquid on since Demitri hadn't and he had no interest in extra sweet things. It smelled much too sweet for his tastes. He used the knife and fork to cut the circles like the others were doing and took a bite. It was savory, sweet, and sour all at once. It wasn't too bad and after a few bites he rather liked it.

"It's good. What is it?" He asked. Demitri looked up and smiled.

"Lemon ricotta hot cakes and hashbrowns." He said. Kori believed lemon was a type of fruit, as they had it in the other realm, though his people didn't eat it. He had no idea of the rest.

"Um... what's it made of?" He asked, trying to phrase it differently. He forked what he assumed were "hash browns" and tried some. They were savory with salt and pleasantly crunchy as well as chewy. Demitri seemed to think about how he should explain.

"Ricotta is a cheese. The lemon is a fruit, and it's mixed with eggs and flour. Hash browns are potatoes just grated up." He said. That helped. Kori knew what those things were from his research. There were just too many things he had yet to know about!

"O~h. It's great. I like it. I've never tried anything like it before. We mostly just eat meat." Kori said. Demitri raised his brows and Marv gave him a strange look. Kori realized he had made another mistake. He probably shouldn't have said that around Marv, at the very least.

"Dem's a chef. He's always making good stuff like this but he never brings home any meat because he thinks we should ALL be vegetarians." Alex said, rolling his eyes. Kori made a face.

"You don't eat meat?" He asked. Demitri shook his head.

"It's against my beliefs. I try not to use too many animal products either but occasionally I'll cook with them like when we have guests. Human beings can subsist solely on plants if they want." Demitri explained. Kori blinked. He hadn't thought that was possible. He got all that muscle from eating just plants? Kori knew that his species were carnivores. His teeth were for tearing. But upon looking at human teeth he realized their canines were incredibly small, if not non-existent. He supposed it made sense.

" _We_ eat meat. Just _he_ doesn't." Alex clarified. Demitri smirked.

"Did I compromise your masculinity with my not-meat-eating?" He asked Alex. Alex grinned at him.

"Nope. I'm fine, thank you very much." He took a large bite of hotcake.

"I'm _trying_ to reduce our carbon footprint." Demitri said indignantly.

"I have a Tesla, what more do you want from me?"

"Oh, a hell of a lot." Demitri said with a sly grin. Alex raised a brow and for a moment they gave each other hungry looks. Marv made a disgusted face and the two returned their attentions to their food, silent.

"I thought you were soldiers... You're a chef?" Kori asked. Alex laughed.

"Soldiers? You mean, military? No. Demitri's a full-time chef and I work social services." Alex explained. Kori furrowed his brows.

"You said you protected people." 

"Oh, that's more of a volunteer organization we do part-time. It helps get people out of abusive or dangerous situations like domestic violence, cults, the sex trade... stuff like that. That's why we have an extra room. If we're not sure someone is safe enough we'll bring them here." Alex said. Kori thought that over.

"So you are soldiers part-time?" He asked. Alex laughed.

"I mean, if that's what you call that, sure."

"I like it." Demitri said with a laugh. "We're soldiers, Alex."

They ate and talked about more mundane things and Kori realized all his things were still at the hotel. He was bonded now. Did he go back to the hotel to be by himself? Leave his mates? It was confusing. They hardly knew each other. Yet, it didn't feel that way. He wasn't sure what to do or say.

"So... I actually had a hotel I was staying at..." He said. Demitri looked up, brows furrowed.

"I thought you were staying." He said. Kori instantly felt a lot better, cheeks heating, but pleased.

"Well... my things are still at the hotel. I'll have to go get it." Kori said.

"Oh. We'll go with you." Demitri said, looking relieved. Kori smiled at him. He had felt the same way.

They finished breakfast and afterwards they left to go to the hotel. Leaving the apartment, Kori felt contented, until he smelled something much too familiar. It was the scent of herbs that people in his region often smoked.

" _You're in a lot of trouble, youngling..."_ A voice purred in his native tongue, just as the door closed behind them. Kori whipped around, eyes wide. It was the green-haired Variess. He was leaning against the building not even bothering to wear human clothes anymore. He had a long thin cone-like tube that was the Variessian version of a pipe and he was casually puffing on it. He wore tragian-style woven pants and a tunic, unlaced and open down to his chest with a bunch of necklaces. His hair was free and flowed down around his shoulders and he was strikingly handsome; all sharp features and cunning orange eyes. At nearly seven-feet tall, he was average Variessian height and he looked to be around thirty-five in human years. Of course, he was disguised, but Kori thought he went about his human looks the same way he had, himself. Otherwise, why the hair and eyes? His face looked just a little alien like Kori's. Kori wasn't sure if it was the eyes or the facial structure. He stared, open-mouthed at him for a moment.

_"Wh-what are you doing here? Who are you?"_ He asked. He started to step back and Demitri and Alex were instantly at his sides. Kori wondered if the Variess could take them. He was very tall but he was much less muscled than the two other men. He _had_ muscle, but it was long and lean.

" _Why, I'm your husband, of course._ " The man said with a wide smirk. Kori blinked a few times at him.

" _Arindal?"_ The Variessian nodded. _This_ was Arindal? Not what Kori had expected...

"Kori, what's going on?" Alex asked.

"He's from my realm. He says I'm in trouble."

"A _lot_. A lot of trouble, Darling. The colony is in an uproar. They think you have escaped to another country." Arindal laughed. He said it in English. His accent was much better than Kori's. Interesting.

"Well, then how did you find me?" Kori asked. He had put an anti-scrying spell within his transmutation spell so it would have been impossible to use the usual technique for finding someone.

"Roane. He told me you had to be here. We split up. I tailed you last night. I think the boy got lost." Arindal said, looking highly amused. He took another pull from his pipe. The Variessian pipes were about a foot long and with that, his foreign looks, strange hair, and clothes, he stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Roane's here too?" Kori said with an exasperated sigh. So he had finally come after him. The man nodded.

"He's staying." Demitri said in a low growl of a voice. Arindal raised an eyebrow.

"And you're going to keep him here, human boy? Do you want to start an inter-realm war? That would be smart." Arindal laughed. Kori's eyes widened.

"They wouldn't." He said.

"They would. Do you really not know how precious you are to your people, Darling?" Arindal said, then looked to Demitri. "You know you're stealing what would be the equivalent of a king, here, right? But more precious than a king. He is everything." Demitri looked hard at him. Alex pushed Kori behind them.

"They're not _stealing_ anything! I came of my own free will and I am with them of my own free will." Kori said, fuming with rage. Arindal looked unfazed.

"I can't believe you imprinted on two humans. This is going to be a really big pain in your fathers' asses. I can assure you. Did you stop to think if these boys wanted to be in your pod? To leave their home land behind?" Kori swallowed, feeling guilty. He hadn't _tried_ to imprint on them!

"It... it was an accident... but... I don't regret it." Kori said. Arindal looked at the two human men.

"Are you boys prepared to leave your life here behind to be together with Koritathinas?"

The men looked at each other. A lot seemed to pass between them.

"You- you don't have to. We can find a way to- to break it- somehow-"

"Yes." Alex said. It was simple and rang with finality. Arindal looked amazed.

"Really? So soon? I'm surprised. However, I have never imprinted, so I don't really understand... but I have no qualms with this. The eggs will still be Variessian." He said with a shrug. All three stared at the Variess, a little shocked but for different reasons. "I'm not opposed to being in a pod with humans. It's just rather abnormal."

"R-really? They'd still be Variessian? There wouldn't be a problem if they were to be in my pod?" Kori asked.

"I didn't say there wouldn't be a problem. Your fathers will be furious. They will have to turn down their offer to the eastern colony in place of your two humans. That will be pesky. Roane will have an absolute bitch fit. That will be fun. And I have no idea how Uron will feel. However, _I_ do understand.

" _He's_ one of your husbands?" Demitri asked, incredulous. Kori bit his lip and nodded. Demitri looked Arindal up and down and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So we would just... be in your 'pod' as your mates... and you have three others?"

"If you don't want to start a war, then yes." Arindal answered for Kori. Kori glared at him.

"Is that really true? Would they start a war?" Demitri asked. Kori grimaced.

"Yes... I suppose they would..." He murmured.

"Can we come back at least somewhat often?" Alex asked.

"For visits, yes. I don't see why not." Arindal said, shrugging. "I'm here quite often, myself."

"And we all just... share Kori? Does he get a say in this?"

"We share _each other_. We're in a pod, not a _harem_."

"You don't _have_ to." Kori said. Arindal rolled his eyes like he thought he was being a prude. "Everyone has freedom of choice to have sex with whoever they want. _I'm_ the only one that has a quota to uphold. Otherwise, if I don't like you, I only _have_ to have sex with you once a year." Kori said, tipping his chin up.

"Yes, youngling, you're correct. You're in command. I am but your humble servant." Arindal said, looking bored.

"That's the _least_ you could be, pushing all this on him." Demitri said with a scowl.

"I'm not the one pushing _anything_ on him. It is our species. We are like a hive. He is our queen." Arindal corrected him, gesturing with his pipe in his hand. "Look, I don't like rules. I don't like regulations. I am simply here because my Variat is in need of it." He said in exasperation.

"You don't like regulations? You were the ambassador. How did you get away with being this annoying?" Kori asked. Arindal raised an eyebrow before laughing.

"I was. I'm retired. I can do what I like." He said. Kori looked at him strangely. He and Roane should have switched ages because it would have made a hell of a lot more sense. Arindal acted the way a hundred-year-old should while Roane acted like he was nearly a thousand.

"Do you think we can share him like this?" Alex asked Demitri. Demitri sighed.

"I have to share him with you, don't I?" He asked. Alex shoved him teasingly.

"Well, that was both more complicated and easier than I expected. Why don't we get your things, find Roane, and have lunch before we go back?" Arindal asked.

"Didn't you say the colony was in an uproar?" Kori asked.

"Yes but I want to have lunch." Arindal said as if it were obvious. He started walking off toward a shiny red sedan parked in the lot. He unlocked it and Kori stared in surprise at him. He had _driven_ there? When nobody moved to follow, Arindal turned around looking put-out.

"Well, Are you coming?" The three men all followed after him and they got into the car. Kori got in back with Demitri but Alex had to sit up front. All three couldn't sit back there with Demitri and Alex's bulk despite Alex looking offended when he was forced to sit in the passenger seat.

"Where are we going? Did you skry for him?" Kori asked Arindal who started the car.

"I don't have the supplies for such a thing. I'll sniff him out from our original spot." Arindal said. Kori scoffed.

"I can skry." Arindal turned and looked at him doubtfully.

"Oh? Is that so?" Kori glared.

"Yes. I _can_." Arindal waved.

"Well, then by all means." He said, obviously just patronizing him. Kori wanted to punch him. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a tiny skrying mirror. He had put a lot of magic onto it to make it work without all the normal supplies but he was quite sure of himself. He sighed and focused on the mirror. It wasn't really a mirror but a black circular piece of semi-reflective glass that he had put layers of spells onto. Arindal gave it a curious look.

" _Mirror, find me the location of_ the shithead _, please_." Kori said in his native tongue. The mirror rippled like water for a few moments, searching. Demitri moved in to look at the disk, eyes growing wide with wonder. The other two could see nothing but they watched, both men curious.

"'Shithead'" Arindal repeated with laughter. Kori ignored him and the mirror stopped before showing the city from above then slowly panning in until it focused on a large man looking very angry and walking through what appeared to be a shopping district.

"That's him? He's right off 25th and France." Demitri informed him. Kori nodded and gave Arindal a self-satisfied sneer. He turned the disk around to show him Roane walking around looking particularly stupid and angry. Arindal's brows rose and he looked genuinely impressed.

"Where did you learn that? Did you have someone enchant it for you? I've never seen one like it before." He said.

"I _made_ it _myself_. Just like I _transmuted_ myself, you giant maggot heap." He hissed to the Variess, looking about ready to claw his face open. Arindal stared at him for a moment, looking him over somewhat rudely.

"You really did, didn't you?" He said softly, genuinely impressed.

" _Yes! I did! What, a Variat can't do anything besides fuck? I can do lots of things, you piss bucket!"_ Kori was angry. Really angry. He was sick of being less-than and yet have more expected of him than anyone else. Demitri touched his arm, looking concerned, then gave Arindal a look clearly promising violence.

"You have clearly proved I'm an idiot. I'm sorry, my Variat." Arindal said, his face becoming quite serious. Kori could at least tell he was being sincere. It didn't fix the problem for him, though so he made a rude gesture and looked away.

"Why did you think he couldn't do it?" Alex asked, looking accusatory. Arindal looked at Kori, studying him.

"Because we don't teach Variats anything but basic magic. They are not sorcerers. They are Variats. They have a singular specific duty... They are pampered and provided for; why should they have to learn skills? It's just something new, is all. I have never met a Variat who could do such things. Things I can't even do. My transmutation skills are still lacking in comparison, unless he's covered the imperfection... Look." Arindal pulled his hair back revealing long, pointed elf-like ears that he had been hiding. He also pulled one of his sleeves up showing discoloration of his skin; his true skin color appearing in random blotches. Instead of the tan color of his skin it was a pale color with the underlying blue of blood. Alex and Demitri stared for a moment before Alex crossed his arms over his chest.

"He doesn't have a single thing anywhere on his body that looks inhuman." Alex said. Kori blushed, knowing Arindal would catch the implication. Arindal raised his brows, looking amused, but he turned back around to start driving.

"I am truly sorry, my pod mates. I will be less prejudiced from now on." He said. Kori was still pissed so he told his mirror to go to sleep, then looked out the window.

"If he's like that... then... what do you look like?" Demitri asked. Kori chewed on his lip, feeling self-conscious.

"I have ears like his... and skin... see, our blood is blue, not red. Our teeth are pointier than yours, but I didn't really change my appearance other than things that would give me away. So, I look the same, just... different." Kori said, as if trying to mollify them.

"The biggest difference is the skin color. I believe your hair and eyes are the same?" Arindal said. Kori still didn't want to speak to him but he nodded for clarification for his two mates.

"Your hair really is naturally this color?" Demitri asked, playing with a lock of blue hair.

"Well, you did see everything..." Kori muttered. Demitri smirked.

"Oh yeah. I guess you wouldn't dye your pubes-" Kori covered his mouth, cutting him off. Demitri couldn't help his laughter, chuckling muffled into Kori's hand. Alex gave his brother a cocky smile and they shared a look.

"I always wanted to do it with an alien." Demitri joked as soon as Kori's hand left his mouth. It was immediately replaced, Kori looking horrified.

"You're awful." Kori pouted.

"Mm bafficy mmf awiem." Demitri said, muffled against Kori's hand.

"He said 'you're basically an alien.'" Alex informed them. Kori scoffed.

"I am not!" Kori said, scandalized. "Are elves aliens?" Demitri seemed to think about it before nodding. Kori pulled his hand away from his mouth.

"If you're not from our world then you're an alien." Demitri said with a shrug.

"It _is_ your world, it's just different. It's the other _realm_." Kori said, crossing his arms over his chest, making a face. He knew they were just being facetious. 

"That doesn't make any sense. Is it another dimension? What is it?" Demitri asked, smirking.

"It's an extension of this world but you can't get to it without a portal. It was created to cut off the world of magic and the world of humans." Kori explained.

"So... you created another dimension." Kori crossed his arms over his chest.

"No. It's an _extension_!" Kori said indignantly. Demitri and Alex sat there snickering and Kori pouted.

"Cut it out, children." Arindal said with a smirk.

It took about twenty minutes to get to where Roane had been located and in the meantime Kori was ruthlessly teased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I appreciate any comments but please be nice.


	3. Chapter 3

Roane of Red Tree was incredibly honored to be the chosen consort for his Variat. Of all the Variats documented and portrayed in portraits or seen with his own eyes, his was the most beautiful, the most radiant, and the brightest. Not that brilliance was of the utmost concern when it came to Variats. It was actually not a preferred trait, because while one might not be intelligent, one is more likely to deliver on one's duties. An intelligent creature cannot be caged. An intelligent creature caged is prone to acting outside of the ordinary and engage in dangerous or even destructive behaviors. Eventually, the caged creature will get _out_ of that cage.

Roane had arrived at Oakbridge castle when the Variat was only fifteen. He was small, delicate, and pretty. At fifteen a Variess looked much the same as a human fifteen-year-old in age, but to Roane he was just a young boy. To any Variess he was a child. Fifteen years was a tiny length of time in comparison to the length of a Variess' lifetime. Roane knew he was his Variat, of course, but he was a child and he had very little patience for children.

He often saw the boy being chased around by his nannies or one of his fathers and getting into trouble. Roane would find him hiding in the stables talking to horses or practicing dangerous magic, or too high in a tree to be safe. He would demand the child come down from the tree when he spotted him; his nannies nowhere in sight, and the boy would be forlorn and sometimes he would descend. Sometimes he didn't, for which, Roane would tell his nannies of his location. It irritated the boy to no end. Roane had nothing much to say to the child.

Once, young and sweet, the boy had come running to him, jumped, and hung off him, arms around his neck. Roane had been... disturbed. He had no clue as to what to do, holding the boy up by his waist, somewhat dumbfounded. The boy had told him he was" very handsome" and that he knew he was going to be his husband; that he was happy it was him because he knew he was "Brave and strong" because of his deed as a soldier in rescuing the Red Tree Variat from invaders.

The time when his Variat had admired him was long past and now that he was able to reciprocate his admiration, it was no longer wanted. When his Variat had started to exhibit the signs of maturity Roane had almost panicked. No longer was he a child. He began to smell heavenly; of fertility and sex. His beauty was overwhelming. No Variess could resist his pull. They stared when he wasn't looking. They made no advances; that was forbidden. Only his future mates could truly display any interest. They could display interest; maybe even a chaste kiss, but they certainly couldn't mate with him until the ceremony was performed. Five. Years. Roane had to wait five years to be able to touch his Variat as he wanted. Better to abstain completely than to be denied. When it became too much to bare he would meet a Variess in a local tavern and do what he wanted to do to his Variat with a replacement. It didn't sate anything. Not truly. He hadn't seen it as so before, but five years was a long time to wait.

As an adult, instead of nannies, Koritathinas had guards, and when he evaded them, Roane would find him. He was quite adept at finding the Variat. Eventually the Variat would demand Roane as his sole guard, which had pleased him, until he had realized it was only to more easily evade others. Fortunately, his plans were foiled by Roane's deep craving for him. Roane _would_ find him.

That was, until Kori began venturing to the other realm; a place the Varin detested. It was too loud. It was chaotic. Roane was accustomed to the sounds and chaos of battle. He was not accustomed to the chaos and screams of the other realm city. The strange electric machines were constantly whirring and buzzing and screeching. Gigantic metal machines sped through streets at dizzying speeds and blocked roads for miles, pumping fumes and smoke into the air. Tall buildings thwarted the view of nature and blocked the sun. It put Roane's hairs on end. He felt trapped.

Roane had gone to the other realm once; his disguise created by the town's skilled sorcerer. This was before Koritathinas had hatched. Roane was by no means a skilled magician and he had no ability to create a satisfactory transmutation spell. Most didn't with the exception of sorcerers. When he had finally found his Variat was going to the other realm, Roane had no ability to go after him. He couldn't go to the town sorcerer. If he were to, it would be found out that Roane was going to the other realm after the Variat. If the Variat had went without a transmutation spell from the sorcerer, then it would be found out that the Variat could do magic much beyond the level that was acceptable. His magic would be bound to keep him safe. Roane couldn't stand the thought of clipping his brilliant Variat's wings. The Variat prided himself in his sorcery. It was a great sense of pride and joy for him. It would break him to not be able to use it. So Roane had let him go, knowing that he at least had his magic to keep him safe.

This last time he had lost his temper with his Variat. He had called him a brat and stormed off. And then he had been gone for too long; much too long. Roane became incensed. What if something had happened to him? Roane was a useless Consort; to let his Variat go off on his own like he had. He was irresponsible and not worthy of his status.

When he had run into Arindal, he had all but begged the man to help. The man was a sorcerer but simply didn't specialize in it. He knew this. He also knew that the man could keep a secret.

So Arindal had done a transmutation spell on the two of them and they had entered the other realm in search of their Variat. They split up in an effort to better locate him which had been a rather stupid idea because now Roane was lost. The boy had undoubtedly managed to block others' ability to sense him. The city and the human's disturbing inventions had played with his head and had twisted his sense of direction. He had walked around for half a day, going slowly insane in a city that never slept, worried for his Variat and praying that Arindal had found him. Yes, _Arindal_. He had pleaded with _Arindal_ for help. He hoped _Arindal_ had found their Variat. _Their_ Variat. As in he had to _share_ his Variat with _Arindal_. He couldn't stand him. Not after what he had done. But he wouldn't think of it. He had to focus. He needed to get out of this accursed city!

He was in some sort of shopping district and he looked ridiculous. Everyone stared. He was much too tall. Why couldn't Arindal have made him shorter to match the humans? And every minute without his tail was like _hell_. How could the humans stand it? Walking around like they were missing a limb as if everything were fine. He was _not_ fine! Each time a car passed he had to fight to not flinch. He was a warrior, for gods' sake! Why was this realm defeating him?

Arindal did not give him any sort of translating spell with which to speak to the humans. He couldn't ask for directions or ask for a map. There were no maps of which he could locate. It was _the_ most _stupid_ and _humiliating_ situation he had ever been in in his _life_.

Roane felt defeated. He hated the smells of the place. They were overwhelming. He almost thought he was imagining it when he smelt the sweet perfume of his Variat. He had stopped, taking it in like it was a lifeline. And then he heard his voice.

"Roane? Seriously, you got lost?" Roane spun around, finding his Variat leaning out of one of the dastardly machines' windows. His visage was changed to fit in with the human people but it was without a doubt his Variat; beautiful in this form as well as his natural one. His mouth dropped open and he fought not to run to him, face contorting with anger instead of relief.

"Where have you _been_? I have searched for what felt like _months_!" He growled. His Variat scowled.

"Ugh, you are such an _asshole_. I found _you_ , you gigantic stupid meat head. Not the other way around!" The boy said, huffing.

"We are going home _immediately_." Roane demanded. The Variat tipped his chin up.

"Maybe I don't feel like it." There were several men in the car; Arindal, and then surprisingly, two humans. Roane narrowed his eyes at them, sensing something that certainly shouldn't be.

"Get in the car, Roane. We're blocking traffic!" Arindal called. Roane almost snarled at him. This was all _enough_. He had _had_ it!

His Variat opened the car door, then furrowed his brows, looking from Roane, then the interior of the car, then back.

"Fuck. I don't think you're going to fit." He said, eyes wide. It was strangely adorable. But now was not the time to admire his future mate.

"Then kick the humans out. Who are they?" Roane demanded. The boy shook his head.

"They stay. They're coming back with us." Roane glared.

"Why?" Roane asked. The boy flushed red for a moment before sticking his chin back up.

"They're our pod mates. Get used to it. I'm _not_ going to argue about it." His Variat said haughtily. Roane's jaw dropped.

"ROANE. Get in the car or we're leaving you here!" Arindal called. Roane gritted his teeth and stared at his Variat.

"I will get in the car and you will sit in my lap." Roane said, voice low. Koritathinas glared.

"No. I'll sit on Demitri's lap." He quipped before moving back and climbing into the lap of a human man to the far side of the car with dark hair. Roane was livid.

He made himself get into the car, completely cramped as it was. His legs had to be pulled up uncomfortably to sit and his head was touching the roof. As soon as he was in, he closed the door and dropped his forehead against the window, trying not to just go into a furious rage. He breathed in deeply through his nose. The human men were saying something in their language and his Variat and Arindal were responding. Roane was trying to ignore what he had just heard and get himself under a reasonable amount of control.

"I think he's going to explode." Arindal said to Koritathinas, humor in his voice. Roane would murder him. He breathed out through his nose and tried to think about something to distract him or he was going to lose it. More foreign chatter and Roane growled low.

"I cannot understand _anything_ anyone is saying!" Roane snapped, looking at them all with murder in his eyes. His Variat stopped, looking at him strangely before scooting over a little in the human's lap. He reached out and began to draw sigils in the air, murmuring an incantation. It took a minute, then he reached out and touched Roane's forehead, drawing invisible sigils there as well with his finger. When he finished the spell, he raised his brows.

" _Better? Can you understand me?"_ It was in the human language and it didn't match up with his lips, but Roane could indeed understand. He swallowed, feeling just a little less helpless, and he nodded curtly. "You didn't give him a translation spell?" Kori asked, looking to Arindal, who was driving the insane contraption. It was like a very strange, very disturbing nightmare.

"I didn't think about it. We were pretty intent on finding you." Arindal said with a shrug. Kori looked at him like he was insane.

"That must have been horrible! I can't believe you!" Kori said, looking upset. He looked toward Roane with just a little bit of pity. Great. Pity was just what he needed to top of this day.

"It was fine..." Roane gritted out. Kori looked doubtful.

"Obviously not. You were lost." He said. Roane scowled and looked back out the window.

"Huh. So you did a translation spell? I understood him just now." The man his Variat was sitting on said.

"Yes. You can understand each other now." His brilliant Variat explained. "When we're home I'll start working on a spell to help the learning process of our language for you so that it should just take a few days. Then it doesn't have to be a consistently working spell." Roane didn't know that was a possibility but he didn't doubt his Variat.

Roane could feel the connection between his Variat and the two human men. They had imprinted on each other. His Variat had _imprinted_ on two _humans_. It was infuriating. His Variat had crossed a line. He didn't think it was a line that had ever been crossed. He could smell them on each other. Roane growled low in his throat.

"You have made an incomprehensible mess of things." He said, looking to the boy and gesturing to the two humans. The Variat tipped his chin up arrogantly.

"No I haven't. Demitri and Alex are my mates. They will be your podmates. And there is nothing you can do about it."

"Your _mates_ were already decided for you." Roane snapped.

"But the ceremony hasn't been done and the others have yet to be called upon. It can be rearranged. What's done is done, Roane." Arindal said. Roane had no patience for the man right now.

" _Don't_ speak to me." He growled. Arindal scoffed.

"Oh, sure. I'm sure you will get the favor of our Variat that way. Just continue yelling until something goes your way. By all means." Arindal said.

Roane knew he was right but he simply dropped his forehead against the window again, looking away from the others. He was miserable. He was exhausted. He had no patience to draw upon to deal with the situation. His Variat favored these humans more than him. And it was probably his fault. Because he couldn't control his temper, he couldn't speak what he felt, and he couldn't protect what was precious to him. The noises of the city and the car were grating. The smells nauseating. The inside of this machine was too small. He felt like his armor had been damaged and he was vulnerable. His breathing was too fast and he worked to slow it, realizing he was just unraveling. He swallowed.

"How long before we arrive back at the portal?" He asked gruffly.

"We're stopping to get lunch first." Arindal said. Roane couldn't stand staying any longer.

"Stop, then. Give me a map and I will leave on foot." He said through gritted teeth.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" His Variat snapped. Roane stared at him, breathing like he had ran for hours. Arindal was right. He was going to explode. When their eyes met, the other Variess's face went from cross to concerned. "Roane?" He said his name and Roane shook his head. He wasn't sure why but he did. "Stop the car! Pull over!" The boy said to Arindal. Arindal raised a brow but he maneuvered the machine over to the side of the road. Roane opened the door and pitched himself out of the car, leaving it to lean against a brick building nearby and try to find the breath he was chasing. A hand touched his arm and he jerked upright, turning to see his Variat, brows furrowed and looking concerned.

" _Are you okay?"_ He said quietly, in their own language. Roane could only stare at him then look away. "You're not. Can you just tell me what's wrong?" Roane swallowed hard.

"I cannot protect you. This place is making me sick. I can't breathe." He said, regretting it instantly.

"You don't have to protect me."

" _Yes_. I _do_. I'm unworthy of you, my Variat. You will replace me." He said. Koritathinas sighed.

"Sit down, Roane." Roane shook his head. "Sit _down_ , Roane!" The Variat snapped. Roane furrowed his brows then sat down on the stone pathway against the building. It was probably filthy. The Variat sat down beside him.

"You aren't _unworthy_ of me. What does that even mean? You're sick? Why? What happened? Did someone, I don't know, poison you?" Variess couldn't get sick unless they were poisoned. Their bodies were nearly immortal. So what excuse did Roane have? Maybe he had been poisoned.

"It's too loud. It smells. It disturbs me." Roane said.

" I know your ears and nose are more sensitive than mine... Is it too much?" The boy asked. Roane nodded.

"I can't _think_." He said, wanting to cover his ears. The other Variess looked pitying. It was awful. Roane looked at the ground ahead of him.

"I understand... And you're upset because you think I'm getting rid of you. I'm not... If you would just talk to me instead of just demanding things and telling me not to do things... if you told me how you felt, I could understand you better. I bonded with Demitri and Alex because I needed someone who wanted me for me and not just for making more Variess. _Do_ you even want me?" Roane stared at him.

"Of course I want you. It's not just... It was never just..." He looked down again. "You're too clever. I don't know what to do with you. I have held back since you matured... and waited for you. And when I am close to finally being allowed, you give those human men everything I want. It feels like I'm not wanted."

"Roane..." His Variat said his name softly. Roane met his eyes again.

"Please call me Kori. Please." Roane furrowed his brows but nodded. Yes. Whatever his Variat wanted.

"Kori..." Kori smiled wide and suddenly tackled him. Roane caught him and Kori wrapped his arms around his neck tightly, hugging him. Roane blinked a few times.

"I just wanted you to talk to me. I don't _want_ to be just the Variat." Kori said. Roane wrapped his arms around the Variess' waist, savoring the feel of him, and pulled him in closer. The heat of his body against his own was wonderful. He was the perfect shape to fit in his arms. "Will you still be in our pod?" Roane nodded. "Will you talk to me from now on? We're friends, right? You don't hate me, right?" Roan shook his head.

"I never hated you." Kori smiled and pecked him on the cheek. Roane's eyes widened a little, feeling the kiss long after his lips left his cheek.

"What can we do to make you less freaked out about this place? I know it's probably really scary. It was when I first came." Kori said, looking up at him. Roane fought for his face not to flush with embarrassment.

"It's not 'scary'" He said. Kori rolled his eyes.

"Okay less 'disturbing' then." Roane sighed.

"Just the fact that I've found you is probably enough... now..." He murmured. "Your humans must behave respectably. I won't allow anything less. You are precious and will be treated as such." Kori looked pleased.

"So you'll give them a chance?" He asked, smiling wide. Roane sighed and nodded.

"Please tell me you didn't have sex with them yet..." He said. Kori blushed several shades of red. It was strange seeing the red instead of the blue.

"Ummm... depends on what you mean by sex." Roane's eyes widened.

"You are the Variat! They have no right-" Kori made a face.

"I'm not pregnant or anything. We just... did... things... not _all_ of it. I was the one who asked. It's _not_ their faults! Do you know how hard it is to hold back? I feel like I'm going crazy!" Kori said, pouting. Roane gave him a deadpan look.

"Yes... I can imagine." He said grumpily. Kori snorted.

"Don't tell me you didn't go find someone. You're not _that_ hideous." Kori joked. Roane made a neutral face and looked sideways.

"You _did_! You did, you slut!" He yelled, whacking him several times in the chest with no real force. Roane closed his eyes.

"I am a hundred and two years old. Do you think I was just going to be celibate from the time I was appointed as your husband to next month? I would have died." He said, lifting his chin.

"No you wouldn't! Stop being dramatic!"

" _Would you two stop flirting and get in the car_?" Arindal called in the human language. Roane glared at him but stood up, taking Kori with him.

"We're going to have lunch because I want you to try some American food. Then we'll go back home, alright?" Kori said. Roane sighed. He figured he could manage all the noise now. He was also very hungry.

"I doubt the food is any good..." He muttered.

"What are you talking about? You'll eat anything. You're like a volcano and everything just goes in and goes in and goes in..." Kori said. Roane huffed out his nose.

"Make it quick. I want my tail back."

"Yes, I would assume so. You walk like a sad duck." Kori said with a smirk, moving back toward the car. Roane made a face of displeasure.

"What's... going on?" The human man in the front seat of the 'car' asked.

"I was taming the beast." Kori said with a shrug. Roane gave him a beseeching look.

"My Variat, must you-"

"Kori! My name is Kori, thank you!" Kori called out pleasantly as he crawled into the mechanical contraption.

"Kori..." He said, now sliding in after him.

"Thank you." Kori said with a wide smile as Roane closed the door behind him.

"So... everything's cool now...?" The human in front asked.

"Yes!" Kori piped, sitting in the other human's lap again. He put his legs in Roane's lap, lounging across them both like a chair. Roane couldn't exactly say he didn't like it.

A few minutes and they were pulling in to a stone lot in front of a building. Roane had no idea what the lettering on the front meant as his translation spell had only pertained to spoken word.

"What's this place have?" Kori asked, opening the car door and scooting out. Roane got out with the rest of them.

"Thai food. It's good. Lots of spices and stuff." The human up front said. Roane stayed silent and followed the rest in, still very uncomfortable but now not close to exploding or something of the sort. When they entered, the noise was much less deafening but there were still many machines within that made different buzzing noises. At least the smell was much more pleasant. He could smell a wide array of different meats. His stomach growled.

A human 'woman' came up to them when they entered and showed them to a table to sit. The chair was unsurprisingly small. Roane hoped it wouldn't break. He was the largest of them there, though one of the humans was surprisingly built, the other not far behind. _They_ fit in the chairs. Were they human warriors? Where had Kori found them?

He was happy to see that his Variat had sat beside him. The lighter-haired human sat on Kori's other side.

The woman, whom he could only assume was the waiter, put some sort of plastic book in front of each man and asked what everyone would like to drink. Arindal ordered a "coke" whatever that was. Kori looked at the black-haired human, then the lighter-haired one.

"What should I get?" He asked.

"Most people get soda. Do you want something fruity or something, uh, spicy?" The lighter-haired one asked. Kori thought.

"Spicy, I suppose?"

"Okay, get him a coke, I'll have a beer. Surley." The light-haired one said to the waiter. "You can have some of mine too" He said to Kori. The black-haired one said he wanted "Three Blondes" and then the waiter looked at Roane. Roane had no idea. Had the one said beer? They had beer.

"Beer, please." Then the waiter woman started listing off types and Roane looked at the lighter-haired human. "Whatever one he's having is fine." He said, nodding to him. The waiter nodded and wrote it down in her little book, then walked off. Roane felt out of place. Very out of place. He still had no idea what he was doing.

"You're just having some culture shock. You'll be fine." Kori said to him. Was he that transparent? "Anyway. Nobody knows who anybody is- well, I suppose I told you two who they are." Kori said, looking to the humans. Kori looked to Roane and Arindal. "That's Demitri." He pointed to the more-muscled Black-haired human. "And that's Alex." He pointed to the lighter-haired human. They were... attractive. He admitted it to himself. At least their attractiveness fit their Variat. The black-haired human, Demitri, had dark intense eyes and his face was made up of hard lines. His muscles were thick and shoulders wide. The lighter-haired man looked friendlier, his eyes a light green and his face naturally smiled. He was leaner than the other, but very fit. They had imprinted on each other. The connection between all three was strong and Roane was jealous. He looked them over carefully, trying to discern what he could from their appearances. They both grinned like they thought something was funny, which was somewhat irritating. He grunted and nodded to them.

"Roane is a soldier and guard like you but I think its stricter when you're in the army because he has literally no social skills." Kori said like he was delivering a compliment. Roane made a long-suffering face.

"My Variat, must you-"

"Kori! My name is Koriiiii. You have known me since I was a teenager. It's weird to still call me that." Kori said, though he wasn't angry. Roane scowled.

"You were not _my_ Variat until five years ago. I had to respect you as the figure you are then, at the very least, until I could officially court you. I was not going to court a fifteen-year-old who was constantly trying to set things _on fire_ or give you any mind until you were of age. It was out of the question. So I did not think of you as 'Kori.'" Kori stuck out his tongue childishly.

"I wasn't _constantly_ trying to set things on fire. I did it at most probably five times and it was for _practice_." Kori said indignantly. The other men stared at Kori like he was insane; which he probably was. That was alright, though, because although Roane wouldn't admit it, but he liked it.

"Five times is still a lot of times." Arindal said. Kori crossed his arms over his chest.

"I was _practicing_."

"Practicing what? Setting things on fire?"

"Yes! I was learning pyromancy." Kori said, as if this were obvious. The two humans were holding back laughter.

"One does not learn Pyromancy at _fifteen_. Who was _teaching_ you?" Arindal asked, eyebrow raised skeptically.

"I was." Kori blinked. Arindal sighed and shook his head.

"You are going to be a lot of trouble, aren't you?"

"Yes." Roane answered. Kori scowled. "You can't deny that. Just try." Kori opened his mouth to speak, then shut it.

"Fine."

"Well, it's really interesting meeting all of you... I guess we'll be way more than acquaintances from now on. This is really bizarre." Alex said, then looking to the other human with a grin.

"Yes. That would seem to be the case. I take it you aren't used to polyamory as we are?" Arindal asked. He looked to Roane. "Some humans are but most are monogamous." Arindal explained.

"Why?" He asked, confused. Demitri laughed. His smile was strangely endearingly crooked.

"I don't know? People get jealous. Don't you get jealous?" He asked.

"One usually works out any jealousy with one's pod..." Roane said, thinking them odd. Why would they limit themselves to a single person if they had the opportunity? Having four other partners was a goal to most; an intimate close-knit family. The only reason Roane was not already in a pod was because he was requested as the Variat's consort early in his life. Roane had no idea why Arindal had not been in a pod.

"Makes sense." Demitri said. "a lot of couples don't last very long here anyway. If yours last longer then maybe you're onto something." He looked around the room and grinned. "You all are getting a lot of weird looks. Are all of you that tall? Is Kori short?" He looked to Kori who made a face at him.

"Exceptionally short. You three would almost be considered dwarfed in our realm." Arindal said. Kori looked offended.

"Rude." He muttered.

Roane picked up the shiny book the waiter had placed in front of him and looked at it. It had a lot of pictures of strange food on it as well as writing of which he couldn't read. He scowled at it.

"I have no idea what this says." He said in irritation. Kori leaned over and pointed to spots in the menu, explaining a little bit in terms of meat as to what everything was. They had the same meats in the other realm, at least, though the cow meat was rare. They didn't have farms like humans had. They had duck, pork, and shrimp fairly often, though. The humans explained the rest. He ended up picking "shrimp pad Thai." His beer was actually quite delicious; more delicious than the kind back home. Beer was very popular in their realm though they more often called it "brew."

"You should have mock duck instead." The human, Demitri, said to the other human, smirking.

"No. I want meat. _Meat_."

"You can go without meat for one meal." Demitri said. Why were they arguing about meat and why would one _not_ want meat?

"I go without meat all the time because you won't cook it! When I'm out or I make food myself, I have meat!" Alex exclaimed. "You're driving me insane." Demitri cackled.

"That's my job." Kori suddenly stopped looking at the shiny book and looked concerned.

"Oh no... what are you going to eat at home?" He asked the human, Demitri.

"What do you mean?" Demitri asked.

"We're carnivores. We only rarely or scarcely eat anything but meat. We use spices and oils but otherwise we only sometimes get bread or other things through trade. I guess since you're a consort you're important so we can have more things imported from the sun elves..."

"You only eat meat?" Demitri asked. Kori nodded.

"You live in the woodlands, right? You said you all hunt and you have the same type of plants and animals?" Demitri asked. Kori nodded.

"Then I can forage if other things can't be brought in."

"You don't have to _forage_. You're a consort." Kori explained.

"Well, if they don't know what they're looking for... I don't mind. I'd rather cook my own food if they don't know how to cook it." Kori furrowed his brows.

"I suppose that can be arranged... I don't really see why not." Kori said.

"What about work? Are we going to be, I dunno, soldiers like Roane?" Alex asked. Kori shook his head.

"No. You're consorts."

"But Roane is a consort."

"Roane will rescind his position after my ceremony as the Variat." Kori said.

"So... we don't have jobs?" Demitri asked.

"Your job is to be my husband." Kori said.

"That's the job?"

"Just as it's my job to be the Variat. I spend my free-time being a scholar, though that's for some reason frowned upon for me." Kori rolled his eyes. "You can do what you want; go hunting or go to the city or whatever... as long as you come back within the week. It is often hard for a bonded mate to leave for a long time or go very far without their bonded. Which is why you must come with me."

"So... our jobs are just to... be with you?" Alex asked, looking almost disbelieving. Kori nodded. "Wow. That's kind of crazy. I guess we have to make arrangements for everything here." Alex looked to the other human.

"Do we just quit today?" Demitri shrugged.

"I think that's our only choice. Then, call the landlord?" Demitri said. He looked at Kori. "Can we bring our stuff with? It's going to be really crazy transitioning like this... I have no idea what things are like in your realm." Kori thought about it.

"In a few days I can have people come to retrieve your things with you. Does that work?" He asked. Demitri shrugged.

"Yeah, that works. God... this is really nuts... It's sort of all crashing down on me at once now." He said, eyes looking at each of the Variess, as if seeing them differently. He looked to Alex. "Are we insane? Is that what happening? We finally both went insane and we're feeding off of each other's insanity?" Alex raised his brows.

"If that's what's happening, then I'm blaming you." He said. Roane couldn't blame them. _He_ thought this place was insane. The two cultures meeting up must be jarring for all involved.

"You're not insane. You'll see when we go home." Kori said.

They all ordered food, and Arindal added a bunch of extra food, explaining they needed more portions and to try multiple things. The others were talking about music. Apparently the humans were musicians, not soldiers.

"Why are you built like soldiers if you're musicians?" Roane asked suspiciously. Demitri looked at him, perplexed, then laughed. His voice was deep and it was pleasant.

"We just go to the gym a lot. It also helps to be big and scary when we're doing volunteer work." Demitri explained. That didn't really explain anything to Roane.

"They actually are soldiers but only part-time. They just don't call it that here. Demitri and Alex help people who are being hunted by killers or by angry people who want to hurt them." Kori explained. Roane didn't understand why he had to leave his sword behind if there were soldiers there. He didn't see swords on the two men, either.

"Do your people not use weapons for defense? You have no claws..." Roane said, brows furrowed. Alex chuckled a little.

"We do... we don't carry them all the time but we have permits to carry guns." Alex said.

"Guns?"

"Yeah. They're uh... I'm not going to take mine out right now, but they're metal. They shoot metal... uh...balls? At people?" Alex looked to Demitri for help.

"They kind of use a miniature explosion to shoot metal at people. It's extremely deadly. I honestly would much rather just use Tae Kwon Do but what can you do? The enemy has guns. Kicking them generally isn't going to stop them." Demitri said. Miniature explosion? Humans were insane.

"Tae Kwon Do?"

"It's a fighting style using mostly kicks and defense skills." Demitri explained. Roane felt these humans were much more interesting than he had originally guessed. They had something in common, at least. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be in a pod with them.

Their food arrived and it smelled heavenly after almost a day of searching with no sustenance. He immediately dug into his dish, finding it rather pleasant. He wasn't extremely excited about the vegetables but he ate those as well. The spices and flavors made them taste much better. He also liked the noodles. He had only had noodles once in the other realm and they weren't nearly as delicious. There was also some crunchy bread-like food that had creamy cheese on the inside. They didn't often have cheese either, so it was an interesting experience. He tried many other things and enjoyed most. Their food was very elven. Roane thought they may have to trade with the elves more often so that the humans had more than just meat to eat.

When they were done eating, Kori paid for it all with a bunch of green-colored paper. They only used coin in their realm. Paper was too easily destroyed. Strange.

"Uh- Kori, we could have paid." Alex said. Kori shook his head and whispered.

"I transmuted it. It's a direct copy of human money." He explained. Roane's ears were more heightened than a human's so it was easy enough to hear. Alex's eyes went wide and then he laughed. He whispered back.

"It's not going to change back, though, right? They can use it?" Kori nodded.

"No. It's completely permanent. It will not destroy the economy since we aren't using that much and your people are so plentiful." Kori whispered. Alex seemed comforted by that and nodded.

"Would you all mind if we went back to our apartment to get some stuff before we leave?" Alex asked.

"We will help bring as much as possible." Roane said. Kori looked to him, surprised, but smiled.

"Thanks, Man." Demitri said. They went to retrieve things from the human men's apartment. At first they were only going to pack a small amount, but Roane insisted they bring any other things they thought they would come back for, so they ended up with some boxes of random things, and by the end, both human men were satisfied that they needed nothing else. While there, the humans made arrangements over a sort of contacting device called a "phone" instead of a magic mirror. Surprising how the humans did things without magic. He had no idea how they had done all the things they had. It seemed humans had their own sort of magic.

"So... you all really don't think the ghost thing is weird?" Demitri said when they were almost ready to go. Roane furrowed his brows.

"Ghost thing?" Demitri seemed uncomfortable.

"Kori said you have mediums... in your realm? People who talk to ghosts?"

"Oh. I see. Yes, we do."

"You're a medium?" Arindal asked, intrigued. Demitri scratched at the back of his head self-consciously. Roane didn't think the man was usually shy in any way. This was something he was ridiculed for?

"Yeah. Uh... There's some people here I just wanted to say goodbye to... Feel kind of bad about it." Demitri looked away from them. He was fidgeting and he kept looking in different areas of the apartment as if there were others he was speaking to.

"You don't have to feel bad about it! You did what you could. If they can't move on right now then they can't. They will eventually but that's not your job." Alex said firmly. Demitri looked hard at him.

"It sort of _is_ my job." He grated out.

" _No_. It's _not_. You can't help the living _and_ the dead all day every day. It's not _healthy_." Alex argued. Demitri looked extra embarrassed now.

"Fine. Can we talk about this _later_?" Demitri asked, glaring. When he glared it was actually quite intimidating. Roane was surprised to see that. Alex crossed his arms over his chest. Arindal was watching this situation looking curious.

"We have no problems with those who speak to the dead, Demitri." Arindal said. Demitri was stiff.

"Thanks... Just... give me a minute." He looked into the kitchen area. "Pete, Anabelle, we gotta talk..." He almost murmured before walking toward a room and waving what Roane assumed was the ghosts, over. He had no ability to see the dead. He was intrigued.

"Are mediums persecuted here?" He asked. Alex nodded.

"Yeah. People think they're crazy. I'm the only one that believes him. When we were kids he had a hard time with it." He explained. Demitri was in the other room, door closed, and speaking to someone. "He just doesn't tell anyone but me now... until you guys, that is."

" _Please_ don't be upset. You'll find your way eventually. I'll come back here and there, alright? And we can talk then." Roane could hear Demitri's low tone, muffled through the wall.

Roane saw Kori suddenly looked extremely embarrassed. He looked at Alex with wide eyes.

"Did-did they- were they _watching_ us when we were...?" Kori asked, horrified. Alex blinked at him, confused, then laughed.

"I think Dem has told them they can't watch. Although they might watch _me_ sometimes... I haven't asked. I guess I don't mind since I can't even see them." He said, looking amused. "I'm also kind of an exhibitionist, though." Kori was still blushing. Demitri came out of the bedroom, looking stoic. Apparently he was done saying his goodbyes.

Demitri was quiet on their way home to the other realm. He and his brother seemed to talk a lot in comparison to Roane. They were good companions for their chatterbox Variat. But the man seemed to be uncharacteristically quiet for a while before he started talking again.

They dropped off the 'car' that Arindal had been driving and they left on foot with a few packs of items. Thankfully the two men had some very large back packs for trips trekking on occasion. They insisted that if the others were interested in carrying anything they carry the less heavy things in smaller packs. Roane had tried to tell them that he was larger and should therefore carry the heavier pack but they found offense in that, so he had taken the much smaller pack and a bag. Arindal had a back pack and a bag as well, and Kori was carrying the single last bag. Kori had also tried to carry more but none of them wanted him to. He was the Variat. The Variat didn't carry _bags_. They humored him with the small bag they had given him which at least seemed to calm the Variess a little.

They trekked through the woods a few miles and eventually made it to the portal. once through and back in their realm, Roane took a sigh of relief. So much quieter. No giant metal _things_ flying high above in the air, no 'cars' screeching and grinding and honking, and no buzzing of all the other infernal contraptions.

"Well, looks normal at least." Demitri said, looking around at their forest. Kori laughed.

"I told you it was an extension. What did you expect?"

"Well, you said there were elves and stuff. I kind of assumed there'd be unicorns walking around too or something." Demitri said.

"There are. They're just not here at the moment. They're skittish. He said. Demitri's eyes widened.

"Really? There's unicorns?"

"Yes. Where do you think the legend came from?" Kori asked, perplexed. The human man looked at the other human and they both raised their eyebrows at each other. They did things very similarly. They must have been pod mates before Kori had come. 

"Now... Because there is such an uproar, we need to transmute back before we enter the castle grounds. You will be in a lot of trouble, otherwise, my Variat. Are you able to do so on your own?" Arindal asked. Kori nodded.

"I think if I can transmute myself into a human I can transmute back." Kori said. "Now my questions is do _you_ need help?" The other Variess tipped his chin up. Arindal smiled, looking pleased.

"No, I don't need the help, but why don't you help our dear grumpy companion?" Arindal said, nodding to Roane. Roane made a face. He couldn't necessarily say he wasn't generally grumpy... which was honestly kind of stupid once he thought about it. He sighed. He would have to work on that.

"Okay!" Kori said, smiling wide. He looked around until he found a patch of dirt, dropped down onto his knees, and started drawing out a transmutation circle. He seemed to remember every single intricate piece, muttering incantations as he drew. Both humans were watching with interest.

"Don't come any closer. I'm making the area big enough to fit all three of us. If you two step in you might be transmuted somehow." Kori said, before chanting some more. Arindal seemed to have not expected Kori to do it for him as well.

"Kori, I don't think you should do all three of us at once. That's a lot of energy to use and I don't think it would be wise..." Arindal said. Kori stopped and looked up from what he was doing looking angry.

"I can do it. I have done way more than this before. This is _simple_. Now step in around me. Don't step in the circle. It's too easily wiped away." Kori snapped. Arindal looked at Roane with raised brows, but then did as he was told. Roane knew he could do it, he just did. Roane stepped in close to the circle as well but not into it. Kori started chanting and drawing again. Then he stood and made a bunch of symbols in the air, which actually showed up faintly and began to spark. Kori got louder and he put his hands up, palms facing outward toward the two other Variess. He spoke something; a sort of command, and then the power moved from the ground and up through his feet, going up and up all the way to the top of his head, like being slowly covered in cold water. Then it was done. His gorgeous Variat was standing before him in his lovely Variess form. And Roane finally had his tail back. Thank the gods.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I think I said I'd post "tonight" literally two weeks ago! Well, better late than never?   
> BTW trigger warning for past abuse in this chapter written from Demitri's perspective.

Demitri assumed this was kind of like a shotgun wedding, which, that part, he wasn't really surprised by. He had always kind of thought he might knock someone up by accident. He just didn't think the shotgun wedding would be with a guy. And he wasn't even pregnant yet, though he might as well be. He would be. The reasons were the same.  
  
Most bisexual men just assumed they were straight until one day it just finally hit them that they weren't the same. _Most_ stayed in the closet. Demitri knew _right_ away. It wasn't a surprise. And, true to some stereotypes... Demitri got around. He was definitely a "slut." Which is what Marv called him. They had been friends since they were about ten years-old. Marv had seen the whole thing kind of blast off. Puberty; then fucking pretty much anything that moved. Woops?  
  
He was definitely _more_ of a "slut" than Alex. And that was saying a lot. The guy got a lot of ass. It was like fate finding out they were both bisexual; at least once they had gotten over the initial hatred of each other.  
  
Demitri's dad and Alex's mom got together when Demitri was fourteen. Demitri had been _almost_ glad.  
  
His mom had died when he was eleven. Then it had been bad. Something inside his father had just SNAPPED like a twig. He wasn't right after that. Demitri had seen that awful side of his father before but it was more like a glimmer in his eye rather than right out in the open.

He drank. He became violent. He would attack Demitri: punch him or slam him into things or slap him. He'd scream at him and say awful things.  
  
The worst part was when he started seeing ghosts. It seemed to hit once he hit puberty; like they were connected somehow. When he told his father, the man had gone bug-eyed and insane. He had told Demitri that he was crazy and to stop talking about it. He never sent Demitri to get help or anything for his "delusions," however. No, that was too much effort. He would just scream at him and ask him what was wrong with him. He asked him that a lot.  
  
Then, things got a little better. His dad sobered up. He stopped beating Dem all the time. He would still occasionally hit him but it was still just so much better and Demitri was relieved.

His dad started dating. And then they were getting married and he would have a step brother. He met Alex.  
  
The kid was thirteen and gangly as hell. He didn't like Demitri right away so Demitri didn't like him. Alex hadn't wanted a new dad. But Demitri had wanted a new mother... sort of. He didn't really know what to expect. She was pretty and most of the time she was kind. His father and Alex's mother, Diane, had dated for only a few months before they got married. It was a little unnerving and Demitri was always on edge, wondering when the shit would hit the fan.

His dad kept seeing him talking on occasion when no one was there. See, the ghosts came and found _him_. They needed his help. He wasn't really searching. They would just show up suddenly and ask him for things. Sometimes they just needed to talk. At first, it was strange because they weren't communicating clearly. Eventually, he began to understand what they were saying and it got less fuzzy. He got better at dealing with them, and soon it became just a normal occurrence; a ghost appearing, sometimes staying for a long time, until they eventually found a way to help them move on.

Demitri's dad would get extremely angry when he saw Demitri talking to them. He brought it up to Diane, which was humiliating, and they fought about what they should do with him. Diane thought he should be sent somewhere to deal with his "schizophrenia" and his dad said he just wanted "attention" and that he wasn't paying for Demitri to go to "a nuthouse."

Eventually, Demitri hid it a lot better. He went through periods where he would completely ignore the ghosts. He would laugh if anyone brought it up and say it was all "just a joke." Sometimes, they would build up around him until he had to deal with them or they started making things happen and became a poltergeist.

That was when Alex would start to realize that his weird, creepy step brother, Demitri wasn't seeing things or making stuff up. Because at points, when their parents weren't home, Demitri would get fed up. Their parents acted like it was all coincidence, but things they needed would go missing, doors would slam suddenly, things would fall off shelves or pictures would fall off the walls; just normal poltergeist stuff.

When they were alone, Alex in his room trying to pretend his step-brother didn't exist, he would sometimes hear Demitri scream at the ghosts to "shut up!" Alex would come running and see his "creepy step brother" screaming at something that was throwing book after book from the shelf, or something along those lines. He would stare, white-faced, at Demitri, and Demitri would scream at him too, to "get out."

Demitri turned seventeen, and his father started drinking again. Something just changed in he and Diane's relationship. Maybe the honeymoon phase was just over. They started arguing all the time. Then it got violent. Instead of Demitri, this time, it was Diane. His father beat her, and at first they hadn't noticed because he wasn't doing it in front of them, then they started seeing the bruises and the dead look in Diane's eyes. Sure, they fought all the time no matter where they were, but the violence was happening behind closed doors.

Demitri had gotten very good at pretending he wasn't seeing ghosts, but occasionally he would slip up. Maybe no one else would notice, but his dad did. Then his dad would scream at him. Once, his dad had caught him staring into a corner, and had asked him what he was staring at. Demitri had looked a little too caught off-guard, and his dad had started in on him. His dad didn't hit him. No; He was too big now. Demitri was filling out and was almost a man. So was Alex. Demitri had argued with him and Diane had told his father to "shut up." He had backhanded her, and that was when Demitri hit him. They got into a fight, and Alex came in and helped Demitri hold him. They held him down until the man stopped resisting, and they told him he was going to change. He was going to change or they both were going to make him regret what he had done. It seemed to have worked; for a while.

That was when Alex and Demitri became close. They weren't going to take any shit anymore. Alex told him he believed him; that Demitri wasn't crazy. He had seen what the poltergeists did and he knew it wasn't a coincidence. Demitri had told him everything. They had things binding them together that most people never did.

Demitri was eighteen when his father started getting louder and more belligerent in his arguments with Diane. Demitri warned him. Alex warned him. His father insisted he wasn't getting abusive again. He was still drinking. They thought everything was mostly okay until one day Diane didn't come home from work. Demitri's father had told him they had a fight and she had probably just gone to stay with her sister.

Alex tried to call her several times that night but got no answer. He worried, and Demitri told him it was okay and that she was probably just pissed and didn't want to talk. Demitri felt a deep sense of foreboding that told him that Diane wasn't at her sister's house and that something was wrong, but he wasn't going to tell Alex that. What if he was wrong? Alex was a mess and Demitri just held him together the best he could. Alex seemed to have also come to a conclusion about what had happened, but neither of them could admit it.

When Demitri saw Diane again, a few days later, she wasn't alive. He had screamed. She was just floating there, staring at him. New ghosts or extremely old ghosts were the creepiest; they seemed nearly catatonic but still trying to communicate. She had shown up floating, wet and dripping water, with bruises around her neck; dead-eyed and staring. She was telling him she had been murdered. Demitri had gone into a melt-down. He was screaming at her to go away when Alex got home because he just didn't want to believe it. Their lives were destroyed. His father had murdered Alex's mother. Would Alex blame him? He loved Alex. He loved him so much because he couldn't love his father; not the monster he was. Alex was a life-line. So no, he didn't want to admit what had happened. When Alex came in seeing him crying, he knew. It was horrible.

They went to the police, told them what they thought had happened (Obviously without telling them what Demitri had seen) and the police arrested the man on suspicion of murder. They held him while they searched for evidence. They found her car abandoned in a parking lot at a grocery store. His father had all but confessed. He had told Demitri he was "dead to him" and to "shut his mouth or things were gonna go bad for him." That was enough to hold him. A few days later they found her body. It had been dumped in a creek. Alex had cried for weeks. He didn't blame his step brother, though, and Demitri stayed by him.

Demitri's father was charged with murder and had been put in prison for twenty-five to life. Diane's ghost went away, and Demitri and Alex stayed together, for which Demitri was eternally grateful. They both needed each other.

Things got better, and they moved on, mostly. They learned martial arts and they became volunteers to help other people who were in similar situations to what they had been in. They helped heal each other.

Demitri hadn't known that he was in love with Alex; not the way he was. Sure, he had had fantasies about him, and had some really hot dreams involving him, but didn't most people have a little bit of a forbidden desire for their step-sibling? Would they even be considered siblings anymore? They were always good-naturedly competing with each other. They weren't even mad when the other won. It was all jokes and fun. Demitri wanted him to be happy.

At the bar, playing for the crowd, Demitri had seen the pretty blue-haired boy right away, while they were setting up their equipment.

"See him?" He had whispered to Alex. Alex immediately knew who he was talking about. The boy was something out of a dream; almost androgynous but just enough angles in his face to recognize he was male. He looked alternative with blue hair and piercings down each side of his ears, wearing tight black jeans showing off how long and lithe he was. He was so fae-like; exotic with big black eyes and an inquisitive sharp look about him. He had to be around twenty-three or four. He was perfect.

"Holy hell..." Alex muttered.

"Yeah, he's mine." Demitri said with a smirk.

"Not if I get to him first." Alex said, tipping his chin up arrogantly but holding back a mischievous grin. He was so beautiful. He was always willing to play Demitri's stupid games or talk to him about whatever might be troubling him. Sometimes things were too much to bare but Alex was there. Alex would always be there.

His eyes were the palest shade of green and they always caught him just a little-off guard when he noticed. Alex's jaw was sharp, eyes almond-shaped and bright, his ears just a little too big so that it was slightly adorable. It was pretty much his only flaw, but Demitri liked it. He had a fantastic body. But everyone noticed how their step-siblings looked, right? They weren't actually related, or anything.

When they started playing, Demitri met the fae-like stranger's eyes, and could see he wanted him too. He was incredibly sexy and alluring.

When he had tripped and Demitri had helped him up, it was so cute Demitri almost couldn't stand it. Kori was a dream. And that accent? A plus. Wherever he came from, he had never heard an accent quite like it.

Kori was too tantalizing to resist and he didn't hesitate in taking him to bed with Alex. If Kori wanted it, Kori would get it.

Maybe Demitri had stolen some glances of Alex's body a few times when he hadn't thought Alex had been looking. He hadn't creeped on him or anything; just, if Alex was getting undressed and didn't care if anyone saw, maybe Demitri would take a look. But looking at him full-on, flushed with arousal and dick hard, getting sucked off by gorgeous Kori was everything. Okay. He wanted him. He wanted him a lot.

Demitri really somehow wasn't surprised when he found out fae-like Kori was an otherworldly creature. It just fit. And when he found out he got wet; huge plus. Kori was perfect in every way and he was his. He just was. He was going to be Demitri's forever. And he would be Alex's forever. And it made sense. The sex was unbelievable. He had managed not to actually fuck Kori, which was probably best considering they were in huge trouble from unwittingly bonding, alone. But it had been hard to resist and he could tell Alex wanted to as well. It had almost been a feeding frenzy between the three of them. They clicked.

When Alex kissed him, everything just fell into place. He loved Alex. He wanted Alex. Alex wanted him. They wanted Kori.

And now, here they were, in the other realm; just flying by the seat of their pants head-first into the weirdest situation either of them could ever have dreamed of.

When Kori had told them what he was and what he really looked like, Demitri wasn't really sure what to expect, but when Kori's human form fell away revealing this otherworldly pale creature, He was entranced. This was definitely how Kori was supposed to look. Sure, Kori had been beautiful before, but now this just looked right. His skin was pearlescent and glowed in the sun and it was slightly blue in the right light. When he saw both Demitri and Alex staring, his cheeks blushed blue; He really did have blue blood. His ears were long and pointed and he had sharp little canines. Alex and Demitri stared; transfixed.

Roane was somehow more intimidating in this form; probably because of the sharp teeth. His were longer than Kori's, and he had very sharp claws as well. He made a face and quickly removed his shoes. Apparently they were cramped with the claws that were on his toes as well. He seemed to still be uncomfortable however, stepping from foot to foot.

Arindal also had longer canines than Kori, whom he guessed had shorter because he was the "Variat." Which was like the single female of their species. Arindal had long green hair, which was apparently natural. it flowed around him like it had a mind of its own. He looked much more "right" this way.

"Can I rip a hole in these pants? I can't stand having my tail trapped like this. I've been without my tail for long enough. I want it back." Roane said in a low irritated voice. Tail?

"No. Those are some of my only human clothes." Arindal said, stretching.

"You-you have a tail?" Demitri asked, eyes wide. This was all incredibly surreal. Kori's cheeks just got bluer.

"Yes... is that okay?" He asked.

"Well, yeah. Can we see it?" He asked. Alex nodded. Kori smiled a little and he reached behind himself, pulling down the back of his pants a little, and carefully withdrawing his tail. It was long and furred with the same color as the hair on his head. At the end was a tuft of longer hair. It was incredibly...cute. He liked it. Demitri couldn't help but wonder if his attraction to Kori's more animal-like characteristics made him a furry. 

"Um... what do you think?" Kori asked. The two other men decided to follow and do the same by letting their pants ride just under their tails. All their tails were the same color as their hair. Arindal and Roane's tails were thicker than Kori's. His was more delicate; like the rest of him.

"I like it." Alex said, surprised.

"Me too." Demitri said, smiling wide. He didn't care if he was a furry. Kori smiled big and ran to them, grabbing them both into hugs. Demitri caught him and kissed him fervently. Fuck if he wasn't completely entranced by the strange little creature. Kori moaned into his mouth and wrapped his arms around his neck, pressing his body against him. Demitri wrapped his arms tighter around his waist and they might have made out for a little too long because Arindal cleared his throat in a not-so-subtle way. Kori pulled back and blinked.

"Sorry." He blushed. Demitri kissed one blushing cheek and let go of him. God, he wanted him. He wondered how long it would be before he could get the little minx in bed again. He wanted to tumble around with him and Alex like he was starving for it.

"Not that I'm not enjoying the display but we need to head back before your fathers have some sort of collective aneurism." Arindal said. Kori looked to Arindal, apparently only just realizing the magnitude of the situation.

"Wh-what do you think they'll do to me?" Kori asked, going pale. Arindal thought for a moment.

"Well, knowing Tarroso... He will be pushing for a full lock down." Arindal said. Kori's mouth dropped open.

"No... They can't."

"And that's not taking into account your new pod mates. Perhaps Rann will be alright with it but the others will not."

"What will they do about that?" Kori asked, looking more and more troubled.

"Well, there isn't a lot they can do. What's done is done... but I assume that they will have you on full lockdown, again, until your ceremony so that no further accidents happen that result with different pod mates than the ones assigned. There is also the matter that Demitri and Alex are human. Where did you get such humans? Did you go to the other realm? How did you go to the other realm without a transmutation spell? Where did you get the transmutation spell?" Arindal listed off. Kori's mouth dropped open.

"We can't allow them to bind his magic." Roane said. Arindal looked surprised by him.

"Oh? You like having your Variat with all this power? That's actually interesting... You're so up-tight normally." Arindal said, smirking.

"Isn't there anything we can come up with? Please- You can't let them bind me. I'm already the Variat. Why should it matter? I _came back_!" Kori's eyes were shining with unshed tears and Demitri immediately felt protective. He moved forward and pulled Kori into his arms again, his back to Demitri's front. Demitri glared at Arindal.

"It's not going to happen. _Because_ , Arindal is an ambassador. He knows exactly how to deal with these kinds of tense situations. _Don't_ you, Arindal?" Demitri said, a threat in his voice. Arindal looked amused.

"You're correct on that. I know how to make your fathers listen. You must be good from now until your ceremony. Is that understood? No running off, no complicated magic, and you will behave like a Variat should. After the ceremony, I am not so concerned, but you'll be on thin ice up until then." Arindal said. Kori made a face.

"I feel like I'm being treated like a child _... I don't like it_." Kori said. Arindal smirked.

"Well, don't do stupid things before you come into power and it won't be an issue, will it?" Arindal said. Kori scowled. Arindal came forward and stroked Kori's cheek, tipping his head to the side. "I promise I have your best interests at heart. I've waited for you for a long time." He said quietly. Kori let him stroke his cheek, though Demitri felt that Arindal was being tricky and he was bothered by how he was going about this. "We will tell your fathers that a few months ago, a traveling sorcerer came to the docks and gave you a single use transmutation spell as well as a translation spell, for you to go to the human realm as you've always dreamed. You don't know who the sorcerer is because you never asked. You don't remember what he looked like. You don't remember when exactly he came. You were being reckless and irresponsible and wanted one last joy ride before you became the Variat. Then, whatever happened between you three, happened, and Roane and I had nothing to do with this. We found you and brought you back immediately. You are very sorry for your selfishness but your hormones got the better of you. Yes?" Arindal said. Kori scowled.

"I did not... I like them..." He said irritably. Arindal snorted.

"So you imprinted on two humans within a day of meeting them because you were being rational? Kori, I understand. I'm not without my own mistakes. But you must own up to them to your fathers so that they won't look at the things you are trying to hide; like your magic." Arindal said. Kori still looked angry.

"Demitri and Alex aren't mistakes." Kori said. Arindal shook his head.

"I didn't say that. But you did do this accidentally. Or at least you will tell your fathers that. I will need to tell your fathers that you can actually mate with them and produce completely Variess offspring. It's not a well known fact. The only reason you were able to imprint on them is because you are able to reproduce. Human babies cannot be hatched from eggs so they will all be Variess." Arindal said.

Demitri had heard them say "eggs" a few times but had thought he had misheard or they had been talking about how eggs turned into fetuses the way human children are made... the "hatching" is what had Demitri confused. Was Kori going to lay _eggs_?

"Uh... Kori... Do Variess hatch from eggs like... birds?" Demitri asked, as delicately as he could. Kori looked up at him and blushed a few shades of blue.

"Yes...?" He grimaced like he thought he was in trouble. Demitri was just a little surprised.

"Wait- really?" Alex asked, wide-eyed. "Kori, it's okay, we just didn't know." Alex said when he saw how worried the poor Variat was.

"It's not a big deal- well, it is a big deal- you're laying eggs? How many? How often? Sorry, it's just a lot all at once..." Demitri said. Somehow, this was the most surprising thing of any of it.

"I'm sorry... I should have explained more..." Kori said, still looking upset. "I'm supposed to have four or five... uh... once every few weeks? We have them incubate in a special part of the palace for a year... most don't survive, though." Demitri furrowed his brows.

"Why not?" Kori seemed so uncomfortable but they needed to know. This was sort of big.

"Around seven-thousand years ago the night elves put a curse on our species; they didn't like how quickly we populated." Arindal said, saving Kori from all the explaining. "The curse has never been lifted. The night elves no longer know how it was done or how to undo it. One in perhaps a hundred eggs hatch." He explained. "So there may be one or two babes a year. The castle is almost entirely made to hold the offspring. Nannies are hired as they are born and of course, _we_ also have some responsibility in rearing." Demitri felt like his eyebrows had just about climbed up into his hairline. Holy. Shit.

"That's why it's set up the way it is?" Alex asked. Kori nodded.

"Kori is supposed to be pregnant year-round for a few hundred years. Our responsibility is to make that happen. All or none of the eggs in a clutch could be any of ours. We should be giving our Variat as much attention as possible to make sure he has as many eggs as possible." Arindal said. " Birthing eggs is much less stressful than how humans do it and takes a lot less time and effort. All the consorts are to be well-researched in how to help their Variat comfortably lay eggs. You have, right, Roane?" Roane made a face of annoyance

"Of _course_ I have." He said indignantly. Kori seemed absolutely mortified and he turned around in Demitri's arms to press his flushed face into Demitri's shoulder, to hide.

"Roane just... knows about... He just..." Kori muttered, extremely flustered. Alex came forward and ruffled Kori's hair, comfortingly.

"Of course I do. You're my Variat. You're laying my eggs, it should at least be enjoyable for you." Roane said. Kori made a little noise and Demitri rubbed his back. "You should at least have a few books on all this information." Roane said, confused.

"It's still embarrassing!" Kori whined into Demitri's shoulder. "We haven't even kissed yet!" Demitri assumed he meant Roane.

"We've been arranged to be podmates for literally _fifty-six years_." Roane said, deadpan. Demitri at least understood why Kori would feel the way he did. Arindal and Roane seemed to think it was all just business or something.

"I understand, Kori; it's personal." Demitri said. Kori nodded into his shoulder. His tail was down at his feet, the tip flicking this way and that. He wondered if that meant he was uncomfortable

Demitri pondered how he felt about all this. He was actually relieved. If Kori could have less of a hard time with this, then all the better. He hadn't ever relished the idea of helping someone go through some sort of excruciating messy birthing process. He hated seeing anyone in pain if he could help it. He had wondered why emphasis was so specific on mating. Now he knew; they were constantly supposed to be getting him pregnant. Well, that definitely wasn't a _downside_.

"Kori, I don't understand how you knew these human men less than a day and got so close to them yet you have a hard time thinking about mating with Roane or I." Arindal said. Kori whipped his tail and turned his head away from Demitri's shoulder, looking irritated.

"Because I am not just some simple idiot Variat who only thinks in terms of their duties? Everyone isn't the same to me. Alex and Demitri and I fit. We just do. You two I'll have to get used to. Roane acted like he was my _babysitter_ for forever and you, I've only known for a few _hours_." Kori said. Demitri rubbed at his Variat's back, trying to get him to calm a little. He understood why he was stressed, though. 

"I apologize, Kori. I'm not really thinking from your side of things. I'll try to be more respectful." Arindal said. Kori looked a little surprised by his response for a moment before he gave a curt nod before turning away from him again.

"So, before we go back, does everyone know the story?" Arindal asked. Kori sighed and nodded. Demitri nodded, as did the others. "We should get going, then."

"Wait. Where's the amulet the transmutation spell came from?" Kori asked. Arindal stopped.

"You're completely right, Kori. Let me see... I have something..." Arindal began rifling through a small pack he had carried. He pulled out a necklace with a small stone that looked like a ruby hanging from it. "It's been used already so there are no other enchantments on it." Arindal said. Kori took it and put it in his jean pocket, then they started on their way through the forest.

"Are Demitri and I going to be in trouble? What will happen to us once they find out?"Alex asked.

"It's not your fault, what happened. You didn't know. You won't be punished. I might not be able to see you for a while, though..." Kori said, biting at his lip looking upset. Demitri immediately felt possessiveness at the idea that he wouldn't be able to see his mate. He clenched his jaw.

"But... we don't know anything about this place." Alex said.

"They can't do that." Demitri said, voice low.

"At the very least, Arindal and Roane can help you acclimate. I'm so sorry, you two..." Kori said softly, looking ashamed. Demitri moved forward and grabbed Kori's hand, bringing it up to his mouth and kissed it. His fingers were just as long and delicate as the rest of him.

"It's not your fault either." He said. Kori still looked upset but gave Demitri a little smile. Demitri didn't let go as they kept walking, holding hands with Kori. Alex grinned at Demitri.

"You're such a dork." He said. Demitri made a face.

"You don't want to hold hands with me?" Kori asked him. Alex grabbed his hand then.

"I didn't say that." He said. Kori smirked. 

"Good." He said. "I want as much time as possible if we're going to be separated." Demitri squeezed his hand.

Before long they came upon a huge stone castle. It looked like something they would have had in Europe a long time ago, but instead of some sort of gray stone, it had a shiny and glittery marble-like surface. It was beautiful. Demitri almost couldn't believe it was real. Both he and Alex stared up at it in amazement.

"This is where you live?" Demitri asked. Kori nodded.

"Yes. You're living here too." Kori said, grinning for a moment.

"Are we all going to sleep in one giant bed?" Alex asked with a laugh. Kori bit at his lip, blushing again.

"You all have your own rooms and I have a room with a big bed that you can come to, to... Uh..." Demitri raised his brows. "Well, you can come sleep there with me too. I don't know if they did that before but... I wouldn't mind..." Kori said a little shyly. Demitri squeezed his hand again. "I don't sleep there right now. I have a room up there." Kori pointed to a tall tower. "It's good for looking at stars and things..."

"You'll have to show us." Demitri said. Kori nodded. 

"I want to show you." He said, shyly.

Demitri saw some other Variess a little ways away and when they saw their little troop, they started shouting and running. Some ran towards them, and some ran into the castle. They were yelling in the Variess language and Demitri didn't understand a word they were saying. The three that ran to them were wearing belts with large swords on them and they had all-black outfits on with black armor that looked made of leather. They were shouting and Kori shook his head and said something back, then Roane and Arindal said some things and then they were being led into the castle. At least not all the Variess were ridiculously good-looking. The three guards that ran to them were only _pretty_ good looking instead of _ridiculously_ like Kori, Roane, and Arindal. Demitri always knew he was good-looking, what with how men and women treated him, but with these ethereal beings he wondered if Kori thought he was plain.

"What happened?" Demitri asked as they were led in. The front doors were huge and a sort of fancifully carved wood painted in a strange sparkly blue color. The inside looked very much how he thought castles were supposed to look like but it seemed to just be in different colors and slightly different aesthetic. He wondered if the kind they showed in movies in his own realm were styled after these, or maybe after elves? Kori had said something about how much of human culture was based off of elf culture.

The floors were made of one huge slab of black stone that shone red in certain light and there was a long intricate carpet laid out on it in deep blues and reds in an almost Persian style. There were large statues of what Demitri could only assume were gods, portraits of different regal-looking Variess, and scenes of war. The walls were made of something similar to the outside in a non-sparkly marble; the natural color variations in the stone in a variety of colors that went vertically. It was like something he might have seen in a dream; familiar yet dissimilar to anything he had ever known of.

Kori had said something and it had fallen on deaf ears as he surveyed their surroundings. Demitri blinked and looked to his new mate.

"Demitri?" He asked.

"Sorry, what?" 

"You asked what happened..." He laughed a little.

"This guy can't focus for longer than a minute, I tell you." Alex joked. Demitri made a face.

"They said my fathers and the whole colony are searching for me. We're going to go see my fathers now..." Kori said, as if he had said it before. He probably had. Kori looked to Arindal. "Can you perform a translation spell?" Arindal nodded. "Would you mind putting one on Alex and Demitri? Of course, _I_ can't do it. _I'm_ just the _Variat_. _I_ don't know what I'm _doing_." He said with a roll of his eyes. Arindal looked amused but he didn't comment on Kori's sarcastic remarks. The Variess began working in a way similar to how Kori had before with Roane but while they walked.

They went down several hallways and they passed a few other Variess, as well as some Variess spirits, which was new. Demitri hadn't seen anything but human ghosts before. They were all beautiful men. It was strange to not see a single woman around. He wondered if he would miss it at all. Looking at Kori, he didn't think so. He could definitely subsist on a diet of only men and whatever Kori was considered.

"All finished. Can you understand me?" Arindal asked. Demitri looked to him. He hadn't been looking at the man and he sounded like he was speaking in English.

"Yeah. Did you do it?"

"Yes. I said I was finished, didn't I?" Arindal said with a raised brow. His lips didn't match up with his words. He supposed it had worked. Interesting.

"Oh... yeah, I can understand you." He said.

"Yeah, me too." Alex said.

"Excellent." Arindal said. "I can't wait until Uron gets here. I feel like an old man." He said with a sigh. "You humans are what, thirty? So odd..." Demitri made a face.

"I'm Twenty-six."

"Oh, _excuse_ me, because that's such a large difference, of course." Arindal said with a snicker.

"And you are how old...?" Demitri asked. Arindal thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure... am I nine-hundred and thirty-two...? Or Nine-hundred and thirty-five...?" Arindal said with furrowed brows, pondering it. Demitri and Alex both stared at him. Demitri remembered Kori saying _something_ about a nine-hundred year-old husband... This was him? Arindal didn't act like some old wizened wizard that just looked young on the outside or like a vampire who had seen everything like in books or movies... He didn't act like his grandfather that lived in a nursing home and seemed like he was about three-hundred years old; he acted like a wise-ass thirty-something.

"Ugh, you're almost as old as Tarosso." Kori said, joking and wrinkling his nose up. "I'm pretty sure in the human world being with a man as old as your father is considered gross. Just saying." Kori said. Kori sounded way less formal in the Variess language. It was actually very cute. Arindal gave him a look.

"Darling, you will be pleased with my age in due time."

Demitri considered what Kori said; Arindal really was considered old in their culture as well. It was all very strange. Demitri realized his life was so short in comparison. How was he supposed to be anything to Kori with so little time? Would they replace he and Alex as soon as they were no longer useful? He couldn't imagine growing older while Kori stayed the same. That wasn't how he had pictured things. Was it worth it to get Kori into trouble for just the tiny time period that they had together?

They seemed to have walked through a good many halls before they reached a large double-door entrance. The door was painted white this time and there were guards stationed outside of it. They saw Kori and immediately opened them. Inside was actually what appeared to be just a very large living space. There were comfy chairs, multiple fireplaces, bookshelves, and several tables where a few people seemed to be playing games.

On one long couch two Variess were kissing and whispering to each other intimately as if they weren't just out in the open with about another twelve other men there. The two Variess looked to be in their thirties in human years; both incredibly attractive. One was more slender and had wavy platinum-blond hair. His eyes shined in silver, enough that Demitri could see it from where they stood. The Variess on top of the blond was muscled and had short black hair, the bangs hanging a little in his eyes and around his ears, similar to Kori's hair-cut. The blond seemed to be upset and the larger one seemed to be comforting him. The twelve others weren't really paying attention to them, though one was seated only a few feet away reading a book and looking rather cross. He was similar in age and his hair was a deep dark color of red that was almost black in shadows. It was pulled back half-hazardly in a bun at the back of his neck and he looked rather stiff. He was the one that looked up first and saw them. He stood immediately, dropping the book, eyes wide and staring at Kori.

"Damnit, Kori!" He growled out in a deep voice before stomping over and yanking the smaller Variess into a hard hug. "We thought you were dead!"

"I- I'm sorry, father..." Kori mumbled.

"I just knew it. I knew you went to the other realm. Why would you do this?" His voice was angry but he still held Kori tightly. The other Variess were looking now and the two on the couch rose. The blond ran over and the first let go to let the blond grab him up instead.

"Kori!" The Variess picked him up and swung around with him in his arms, Kori making a face like it was embarrassing.

"Daddy-... Daddy!" Kori yelled, trying to get the blond to let go. The blond stopped and put him down, looking at him with furrowed brows and looking close to crying.

"Why would you do this to me?!" The blond cried.

"To _us_." The first Variess corrected.

"To _us_!" The blond repeated and grabbed hold of his cheeks. "Are you hurt? _Did_ you go to the other realm?"

"Rann... Calm down. I told you he'd be fine." The black-haired Variess said as he strode up. He grabbed Kori next, kissing him on the cheek and whispering something into his ear. Kori bit at his lip, looking guilty, and nodded. The black haired one looked at Demitri and Alex, sizing them up and crossing his arms over his chest, looking curious. The red-haired man looked furious, looking at the humans, then at Kori, then back multiple times.

Two more Variess headed over. One was in a slightly elevated part of the living area and had been perched on a stool like a squirrel. He had jumped down and was on his way over, his light-red hair short around his ears. He was probably tallest after Roane and he didn't say anything as he came forward; just took Kori in a hug and kissed the top of his head. He let him go and looked down at him, brows furrowed in a fatherly way that said "I'm disappointed in you." Kori looked even more guilty and looked down at his feet.

Last was a Variess with Dark blue hair pulled back into a small ponytail. He was of medium build and had been in the area with the previous Variess, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He looked relieved and he grabbed Kori into his arms and held him tightly.

"Boy, you nearly killed Tarro, you know?" He said, brows furrowed and holding him off the ground. Kori mostly seemed used to the strange treatment and sort of just hung there.

"I know, Maredzar..." He murmured. The man put him down and it seemed the other Variess in the room were equally as concerned but they didn't try to butt in.

"All of you will _sit_ and we're going to have a _conversation_." The first Variess said, growling it out through his teeth and pointing to the bunch of chairs by where he and the two others had been sitting. There were about seven seats there. They would have to grab a few more. Kori swallowed and nodded.

Were these five men Kori's fathers? He had called one "daddy" and the first, "Father." So were the rest as well? They were all almost obnoxiously beautiful and all looking to be in their thirties. This was definitely not how Demitri had ever pictured meeting a paramour's family. He had never done so except in his teenage years when his lovers had still been living with their parents and he had had to pick them up or something. He never thought he would be intimidated by them, or that there would be more than two parents. He never expected to be weirdly attracted to them, and he never expected them to be an _alien race_.

The first Variess waited for Kori to march over to the sitting area, and a bunch of the other Variess that hadn't come up quickly left the room as the rest of them walked over to sit. Roane, Arindal, and one of the fathers each grabbed a chair nearby and pulled it over so they could all see each other.

Demitri couldn't say that he wasn't nervous. He was a small human amongst an alien race and five upset fathers. He sat down next to Kori on a couch, and Kori motioned for Alex to sit on his other side. Alex did, and he and Alex looked at each other with wide-eyes.

"Um... guys, these are my fathers... That's Jedza," He pointed to the lighter-red-haired tall one, "That's Rann," He pointed to the smaller blond, "Tarroso," He pointed to the angriest one with red hair, "Tamri," He pointed to the black-haired Variess who had been kissing the blond, "And Maredzar." Kori finished, pointing to the blue-haired man. "Fathers, this is Demitri, and Alex..." He finished. The blond, Rann, seemed to have just noticed something and he covered his mouth in shock. He was sitting on a couch with the Variess from before; Tamri. The man with the dark blue hair, Jedza, sat down for a moment before he was right back out of his seat again, and pacing behind the couch where Rann and Tamri sat.

"This is the worst thing you could have done. I'm appalled. This is beyond excuse, Kori." Tarroso, said, looking furious. Kori bit at his lips, shrinking. Jedza paced past and touched Tarroso's shoulder for a moment, giving him a meaningful look. Some sort of wordless conversation passed between them before Tarroso turned back to look at Kori. "We're all relieved you're alright, but we had no idea where you were or if you had been killed. We were worried. Why do you do this after what happened to Werr..." Tarroso stopped and took in a deep breath through his nose, as if trying to compose himself. "After what happened to Werrayne? We have soldiers out looking in the farthest regions of the realm looking for you. Then you just... walk in!" Tarosso threw his hands up. Jedza stopped his pacing again at Tarosso's chair and put a hand on his shoulder. Jedza looked at Kori with black eyes, his expression stoic.

"I know why you did this, my son, but there simply are no words for how disappointed we are. Your position is not to be taken lightly. You may not like it, but you are the only one to do it. Some of us don't have _choices_. But beyond that, you are precious to your fathers and I. And no, not just because you are the Variat. As the Variat, we have always taken watch over you above all others. You are our most treasured; we look after you as the very essence of this house. We love you. We want to give you every happiness, but nothing ever seems to be enough. Why must you disobey us at every turn? Why is everything a battle? Why would you leave us and your colony behind?" Kori's eyes watered. He swallowed, closed his eyes, and shook his head. Then he took a deep breath and looked at his father as calmly as possible. Demitri wrapped an arm around his waist, to try to comfort him.

"I need more. Don't you get it? I've always needed more. I'm not _like_ Werrayne. I need my freedom. I can't just be pampered and left in a room all day like a _pet_. I'm a _person_. I have _feelings_. I want to learn things and _see_ things." Kori said adamantly.

"Well, we can see you certainly did see things..." Tamri, the black-haired one said, with raised brows. Kori turned bright-blue with blush. Demitri squeezed his waist a little.

"You are not a pet. It's not the same in the least. You are our colony's most cherished. You must be protected, Kori. You can't just venture out by yourself doing whatever you like." Tarosso said. "How could you do this? These human boys are bonded to you! How are we supposed to undo the damage you've done?"

"I don't _want_ to undo it. They're my mates. Turn the two others away. You only just announced them anyway, so does it matter that much?" Kori asked, brows furrowed.

"They are human, Kori!" Tarosso said.

"Tarosso, If I may interject." Arindal said. Tarosso's brows shot up his forehead and he looked at Arindal. "We have records of Humans from the other realm being fathers to Variess in the past. We're compatible. Not only that, but the babes are almost entirely Variess. There is very little difference. You, yourself, may have a great great great grandfather who was a human man." Arindal said. Tarosso stared at him for a moment.

"Arindal, I trust you as a friend... however, I need to see these records in order to make a decision. You're a sorcerer, correct?" Arindal shook his head.

"I'm a mage. I'm limited in my abilities but I have a good amount of knowledge." He explained.

"Enough to know if an imprinting can be undone?" Tarroso asked.

"It can't be undone. It's fate. You may as well just unravel time." Arindal said with a shrug. Tarroso furrowed his brows and stared at Arindal for a moment.

"It was fate that our Variat imprint on two human men?" He said skeptically. Arindal nodded.

"That's how imprinting works. Humans very rarely imprint on each other. If these two imprinted on our Variat, then it was simply fate. There's nothing to be done about it. It was within a day of meeting. It's a strong bond. You can't say any of you bonded so fast." Arindal said. Tarroso shook his head.

"No. It wasn't so instantaneous." Arindal nodded.

"There's not a way for two species to imprint unless they were genetically compatible. They are." Arindal explained. Jedza had stopped his pacing and was staring at Demitri, Kori, and Alex, as if seeing something Demitri wasn't.

"If they're compatible, as you say they are, Arindal, and it can't be undone, then I see no other choice. I want to see the records, though." Jedza said. "Ask these boys if they know what they've gotten themselves into."

"We do, sir." Demitri said. Jedza blinked in surprise.

"I apologize, I had no idea you were given a spell." Demitri nodded. "And you as well?" Jedza asked Alex. Alex nodded.

"We understand. As much as we're able to in a short time, at least. There's something about Kori that I can't deny, I guess. He's magnetizing. As soon as Demitri and I saw him, we knew." Alex said.

"Knew what?" Jedza asked.

"That he was ours." Demitri responded. Jedza looked at the three of them curiously.

"It's been less than a day. Humans don't know of our existence. Yet you come here with open minds. " He said.

"Demitri is a medium. He just kind of has to have an open mind." Kori explained. All the fathers looked at Demitri as if he were a particularly interesting specimen under a microscope.

"A human medium?" Rann, the blond, asked.

"A few of their kind have gifts. It's rare but there's records." Tamri explained. Demitri felt self-conscious. Besides with Alex, he had never spoken about his abilities as much as this before. He was aware of a singular ghost nearby but hadn't paid it much attention with what else was going on in the room.

"And is this gift a strong one? Or are you simply saying you saw a ghost?" Jedza asked.

"I see them all the time. It doesn't go away. In my, uh, _realm_ , people see it as a curse or don't believe. It's kind of weird having everyone ask me about it now." Demitri said.

"They don't believe you?" Jedza asked, curious. Demitri shook his head.

"They generally send mediums to a place to hold people with feeble minds. In years past they were executed." Arindal said. Demitri made a face. He didn't really want to be reminded of that.

"There hasn't been a medium in our colony in many years. There's unrest in the spirits. Maybe you came here for a reason; fate, like Arindal said." Jedza pondered. Demitri didn't really like the sound of that. What did unrest mean? How bad had the ghosts gotten? Demitri looked to the ghost in the corner a little tentatively. It was staring at him; catatonic. It was dead-eyed and seemed almost lifeless, if that was what you could call it. It was an old soul and it seemed to have decided to show up as something a bit ghastly. That wasn't a good sign. Darkness spread out from the Variess ghost like an aura. He stared at it for a moment and noticed as its visage changed a little; a knife appearing in its chest. It had noticed him noticing. Right next to it, a book fell off a shelf. Goddamnit. Would he have to clear hundreds of years worth of ghosts here? He supposed his job would never really be done. If he didn't have abused peoples to look after in this realm, then he would have ghosts to look after instead.

Kori poked him a little in the ribs with his elbow and Demitri blinked, looking down at him.

"Jedza was asking..." Demitri was embarrassed. He was meeting his lover's fathers and he was drifting off into ghost-land like a maniac.

"Sorry. I... There's just someone..." He wasn't used to talking about this. He nodded to the corner. "See the book?" Kori looked.

"Oh. That happens all the time. Sometimes they scratch people. It's scary." Kori said. Demitri furrowed his brows. That _definitely_ wasn't a good sign.

"So you can see them here?" Jedza asked, intrigued. Demitri looked at the ghost again and quickly looked away. He wouldn't give it attention until he had time to do so. He nodded.

"It's bad." He said simply.

"Bad?" Demitri nodded again.

"He's been here too long. He's pissed. Barely a person anymore. I don't think we should talk about him much. He's already waking up because I noticed him." Demitri said, scratching at his head anxiously and looking away. Jedza looked intrigued.

"So you may be able to help?" Jedza asked. Demitri nodded.

"Yeah, I can get them to pass on... mostly. You really don't have any mediums around?" In his realm he always figured there were other mediums who were doing the work too. There weren't many poltergeists. If he ran across a poltergeist immediately here, then it either meant things worked differently with Variess ghosts, or there weren't any mediums to clear them out.

"No. There are some in other colonies but for some reason none of our children had the gift. Perhaps there are no mediums in any of our lineages. It's generally passed on." Jedza explained. Demitri doubted his father had any mediums in his family, but his mother had said something at one point about her mother having seen some things.

"Jedza, may we get back to the current issue?" Tarroso said. Jedza seemed a bit sheepish for a second.

"Yes, of course. Alex, and Demitri, are you fully prepared to do your duties as consorts to the Variat, as well as help in rearing the children? There will be many children. Werrayne had over four-hundred. I helped in rearing every single one through the years, as did Tarroso, Rann, Tamri, and Maredzar." Demitri's eyes grew large for a second. He hadn't thought of exactly how many there would be. At least Kori had said there would be a nanny for every few children. He couldn't imagine having around twenty or so children to raise all at the same time with just the five of them. How could they give the children the attention they deserved? 

"Yes. I mean, as long as we have help, right?" Demetri asked. Jedza nodded.

"You are not required to do large amounts of parenting. Your main duty is to be consort. Everyone in the colony watches over the children. Many don't stay in the castle at all; they go to pods whom requested a child." Jedza explained. That sounded a lot less daunting. Demitri nodded.

"Then, yes. I'm prepared." Demitri said.

"I am too." Alex said.

The blond, Rann, started to crack up.

"Jedza..." He said, through laughter. Jedza looked at him curiously.

"It's not as if it's a hard job. Eighty percent of it involves having sex..." Rann laughed. "I don't know if you remember last night but from what I recall, you _enjoyed_ it." Tamri snickered beside him. Jedza sighed and looked heavenward, as if he could never get anyone to act seriously for five minutes. Demitri bit both his lips to not laugh as well.

"Rann! We can't just act as if what Kori did wasn't a serious matter." Torroso said with a frown.

"He's fine. Punish him, but stop giving the human boys the third degree. It's hardly their fault. Right?" Rann looked to Kori. Kori nodded.

"They didn't know about any of this... We were just... having fun. I didn't think we would imprint." Kori said.

"Oh, just 'having fun?' Did you have too much fun?" Rann asked. "You know the rules." Kori bit his lip and looked at his feet before nodding.

"We didn't breed... We were just playing." Kori murmured. Tarroso looked less than pleased, though the rest of the fathers didn't look very upset.

"Kori, You aren't allowed to have sex _at all_ until all your podmates are here. Uron hasn't arrived yet and you have a week until your ascension." Tarroso said seriously. Kori blushed.

"Oh, come on Tarro, it's not like you didn't feel Werrayne up before his ceremony or anything..." Rann said with a roll of his eyes. Tarosso looked a little put-out.

"They're allowed to _court_ , not have wild sex, whether it entails breeding or not. They imprinted, so they must have had something happen besides just _groping_ a little." Tarosso said, making a less-than-amused face. Kori covered his face with his hands and groaned. At the very least, all of this was entertaining. Demitri had never seen any parents he had met be as openly sexual as Kori's fathers were, though most parents he had met didn't look like they had stepped off some sort of supernatural fashion magazine. Most parents were nothing like this.

"Oh gods... Do I need to explain the specifics to you, Father?" Kori said irritably through his hands covering his face.

"If they were on the way to imprinting it would have been nearly impossible to _not_ have sex. I think they showed restraint." Rann said with a shrug. Tarroso looked tired. He inhaled and let out a loud sigh.

"Here's the final verdict; Kori is not to leave his room until his ascension. There will be guards outside his door at all times. I'm not having some sort of dispute with Uron on top of having to call off Kori's other proposed pod mates." Tarosso said. Tamri shook his head.

"They just imprinted. It would be upsetting for them to be apart for so long. There's no reason the human boys should have to suffer not seeing their mate." He said, looking at him like he was nuts.

"Well, then Kori should have thought about what he was doing instead of making this mess in the first place. They'll survive. I suppose they can have a few _chaperoned_ meetings." Tarosso said, glaring at Kori. Tamri seemed fine with that and he sat back and pulled Rann against his side.

"Alright. Agreed." Tamri said before winking at Kori.

"You're all impossible." Tarosso said. Jedza placed a hand on Tarosso's shoulder and nuzzled cheek, kissing it, as if trying to calm him.

"Kori, where did you get the spells to go to the human realm in the first place?" The blue-haired Variess, Maredzar, asked. Kori looked a little cornered. Demitri squeezed his side.

"Um- There was a sorcerer who was traveling and came to the docks... I sort of... convinced him to give me some spells." Kori said nervously.

"Who was this sorcerer?" Maredzar asked. Kori shook his head.

"I- I have no idea. I didn't really ask his name or anything-"

"You took an amulet from an unknown sorcerer and just used it without a second thought? Do you know how dangerous that is?" Maredzar asked. Kori bit his lip.

"I didn't think it was too big of an issue... he was Variess..." Kori tried. Maredzar shook his head.

"I don't know how we're supposed to trust that you will be safe when you do so many dangerous things."

"Look, it was my last try. I want to be around my mates... I won't do it again. I have an incentive, now, don't I?" Kori asked. Maredzar contemplated it for a second.

"I suppose you do...You will still be confined to your room until the ceremony. You so often escape the guards I just can't see trusting you to leave." Kori looked upset.

"I have barely even met Arindal... I haven't seen Uron in years and I barely know him either. I'm just expected to mate with people I barely know the night of my ascension? Just _all_ of them?" Kori asked incredulously.

"That didn't really stop you yesterday, Darling..." Tamri said with a raised brow. Kori flushed.

"That- that was _different_. We're bonded." Kori said in frustration. "If I have Roane and Arindal around they'll make sure I don't do anything, right? You trust _them_ , don't you? Roane is so up-tight about rules he didn't try a single thing this _whole time_! I want to learn who my husbands are before I bed them! That's really all I ever wanted!" Kori said, getting further upset as he spoke until he was breathing rather hard. Roane looked rather put-out at the mention of himself, crossing his arms over his chest with his jaw clenched.

Tarroso and Jedza looked at each other and had a quick unspoken conversation before looking back to Kori.

"You may be courted by your mates but Roane as well as Yannori will be guarding you on a _constant_ basis. Roane will be with you all day and night every day and every _where_ until we can trust you to be alone." Tarroso said. Kori screwed up his face.

"Even my room?" He asked.

"Especially in your room."

"But how am I supposed to-" Kori stopped himself and blushed again. "He-he's not going in the bathroom with me, right?" He asked, as a tentative joke.

"If you're in there longer than ten minutes, then yes." Kori blinked several times at him.

"Are you crazy?" Tarroso looked unamused.

"If you're taking a bath or something, he can simply turn around." Tarosso said with a shrug. Rann snorted.

"You're awful. You know how needful for touch Variats get when they come of age. You think he can just keep his hands off himself?" Rann laughed. Tarosso groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

"Then he can _turn around_." Tarosso growled. Rann laughed even harder. Kori's jaw was practically on the floor. He looked mortified.

"I'm not- I'm not-... he can't!" Kori sputtered. Jedza looked to Roane.

"You think you can do what we ask of you, Roane?" He asked. Roane raised his brows.

"If that's what you request of me, then I am of service." He said. Roane had a good poker face. He looked like he couldn't care less if Kori was touching himself or naked behind him. Rann couldn't stop laughing and Tamri put a hand over his mouth.

"Quiet, you." Tamri said, attempting but failing to remain serious, himself.

"Then, it's decided." Jedza said. Kori just stared at them like they were all crazy. After a moment he closed his mouth and pursed his lips.

"Fine." He said tersely. Jedza seemed happy with this and he nodded. Demitri was glad he could at least be around his mate. For whatever reason, the idea of being away from Kori was almost painful. His only idea as to why was because of the bond. Jedza looked to Demitri and Alex again.

"We have rooms available for you in the east wing. You may pick any one you prefer with the exception of the sky room, or garden room. Those are Roane and Arindal's."

"Oh! I'll show them!" Rann said with a smirk. Demitri liked him. Rann came over and picked up one of the packs they had brought along with them, slinging it over his shoulder. "Come with me." Rann said. Demitri and Alex stood. Kori still looked like he was in shock. Demitri leant down and kissed him.

"You'll be fine. It'll be done with soon enough. We'll still get to see each other. You like Roane, right?" Demitri said. Kori bit his lip and nodded. Alex helped Kori up and hugged him. Kori wrapped his arms tight around his neck.

"You don't need to be so solemn, Sweetheart. We're not going anywhere." Alex said with a huff of laughter.

"But... I wanted to sleep in bed with you..." Kori mumbled.

"I wanted that too but it's a week. We can handle a week. And you'll have Roane's company." Alex said. Kori pouted.

"Roane won't get in bed with me. He won't even hug me." He huffed. "He'll probably lay on the floor to avoid me and knock over all my projects because he's so big and clunky." Roane could surely hear this but he kept on his strict soldier face, though Demitri could tell he was holding back an eye roll.

"You'll be fine." Alex said before giving him a kiss. Kori mewed into his mouth and Alex pulled away before they could go any further than that. Kori pouted again and Alex laughed.

"But... I have to take a bath..." Kori murmured, grabbing his tail and showing that it had bits of leaves stuck in the end hairs and it was a little dirty with mud. Demitri couldn't hold back a small laugh.

"You'll manage." He leant in to murmur in his ear. "But if he does anything without your permission, tell us. There's no excuse for non-consent." Kori shook his head.

"He wouldn't. It's fine just... Weird." Kori said with a sigh. Demitri figured that was the case, but he was always careful.

"We'll go with your father then, and you come see us when you can?" Demitri said. Kori nodded and he leant in to give Demitri a kiss on the cheek. Then he turned and looked at Roane like he had somehow created this predicament.

"Okay. I guess you're coming with me." Kori said with a sigh. Roane nodded.

"That seems to be the case, Kori." Kori's eyes lit up at the use of his name and he smiled. Demitri thought he actually saw the other man give him a tiny smile back.


	5. Chapter 5

Kori walked with Roane up to his bedroom, giving him sideways looks the whole time as if the man would somehow show on his face that he had a vendetta against him. Roane looked as he always looked: stoic. There _was_ something there. Kori had seen it today. Roane had a personality, he was actually interested in Kori, and he wasn't as big of a jerk as Kori had thought. He just needed to get Roane to open up more... but with how things were going, he wasn't sure if he would be comfortable enough with that, himself.

Kori needed to take a bath and Roane was apparently just supposed to turn around? And what about his other needs? He couldn't just touch himself with Roane in the room _with his back turned._ His fathers were getting batty in their old age. He was _already_ getting antsy. He wasn't sure if it was because he had finally gotten a taste, but he was in desperate need despite it being less than twenty-four hours since he had cum last.

He made a face at Roane as they finished climbing the staircase up to his room. Roane had never been in his room. It was Kori's room and it was private. Roane hadn't earned rights to Kori's privacy!

"What is that look you're giving me supposed to do, exactly?" Roane asked. Kori glared.

"You're not going in my room." Kori said, tipping his chin up and challenging him to say otherwise.

"Yes, I am. Your fathers commanded me to be at your side around the clock, which is exactly what I'm going to do." Roane said. Kori shook his head.

"That's stupid. I need my privacy." Kori said. Roane looked down his nose at him, which was, albeit, pretty intimidating, but Kori could take it. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"For what?" Roane asked. Kori's mouth dropped open and he sputtered.

"You know for what!" Kori yelled. Roane shook his head.

"I don't. Please tell me." Roane said. Kori turned a dark shade of blue.

"I have things I need to do. I have to take a bath and do some work and..." Kori waved his hands around. Roane kept the same straight face.

"And... You cannot do that in my presence?" He asked. Kori scowled at him.

"No! I want to bathe in private!"

"Why? In the war I bathed with twenty other men." Roane said. Kori screwed his face up.

"I don't want you to see me naked!"

"I will turn my back." Roane said flatly.

"You'll look!" Kori complained. Roane didn't disagree as Kori had thought he would and Kori stared at him in disbelief. "You _won't_ look!" Kori demanded. Roane shook his head.

"That was not a demand of your fathers. They said I can turn my back but they weren't specific about not looking." Roane said, stating it as though it were a simple rule and he wasn't messing with Kori. He was _totally_ messing with Kori.

"But I need to do things that are private... _privately_!" Kori said, outraged. Roane looked him over and licked his lips, a glint of actual intelligence in his eyes instead of whatever idiotic soldier mask he kept up all day. Kori's brows went up and he blushed. He turned away, shaking his head in disbelief, and opened the door to his room, walking in.

"Good gods..." Roane muttered upon entering. Kori had to admit that his quarters were a historic mess. There were books everywhere in piles, there were electronics and spell equipment, herbs, bottles, jars...

"I do experiments and work on electronics in here, alright!? I have limited space!" Kori defended himself. Roane raised his brows, looking around at the floor where Kori had painted large amounts of sigils, transmutation circles, and spells. He looked at Kori's generator and reached toward a button.

"Don't! Don't touch anything!" Kori said, pointing a finger at him.

"Kori, I think you have a problem." Roane said, voice still level but with a slightly amused expression... if Kori squinted.

"I do not. I am a sorcerer and a scholar. This is what scholars do; they learn. I have to keep everything in _here_ because I'm not _allowed_ to learn. That thing is a generator. It creates electricity like in the other realm. I can connect computers to it." Kori explained. He pointed to the laptops he had sitting on the table next to it. "Computers have enough space in them to hold entire libraries. Each one of those blocks is an entire library. Get it?" Kori said, putting his hands on his hips. Roane looked at a laptop skeptically. "Everything in here has a purpose. I'm not just _hoarding."_

Kori walked through his room toward the bathroom, beginning to pull his t-shirt off when he remembered Roane was literally right behind him. He flicked his tail in annoyance. He entered the bathroom and closed the door, only for Roane to stop it from shutting with one big hand. He entered after him and Kori saw the hint of a smirk on his lips. Kori glared. Roane leaned up against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. Fine. He would start the bath first.

Kori turned on the water on the bathtub and let it fill with warm water, pouring some fragrances in with the bubbles. He liked baths. They were supposed to be enjoyable. He saw no way it could be enjoyable with Roane just standing there like an overgrown gargoyle. 

"What is that?" Roane asked about the fragrance oil he had poured in.

"It's to make the bath smell nice." Kori said.

"Why?" Kori made a face at him.

"Because I like it? It's calming. And it makes me smell nice too." Kori explained. "Don't you have better things to do besides babysit me?" Roane shook his head.

"I'm not babysitting. I'm watching over my mate. It's my job." Roane said. "I'm not sure how else to explain to you what your fathers have requested of me, Kori." Roane said. Was he smiling? His lips had curled just a bit and his eyes had maybe squinted a little? Yes, Kori was almost sure the man was smiling. Kori rolled his eyes.

"I get that my fathers told you to do something but that doesn't mean you have to do it. Go sit on my bed or something. Or the couch. Or the floor. I don't care." Kori said flippantly, and tested the water.

"That's exactly what it means. I'm a guard. I do what I'm ordered to do by my commander." Roane said. Kori groaned.

"I have things I wish to do that require you _not_ being here." Kori hissed. Roane was definitely smirking now. It may not be much, but he was smirking. It was interesting, at least. He hadn't seen anything close to this in the last however many decades he had known the man. 

"And that would be...?" Roane asked. Kori scowled at him. "If you wish to pleasure yourself, go right ahead, my Variat." Kori sputtered, eyes wide, and practically glowing blue with mortification.

"Y-You can't just- I- You-" Kori couldn't find any words with which to express how insane this all was, or how flustered he was. Roane really _did_ want to look at him. The thought was a hard one to process. Their relationship had been so impersonal before.

"I can't... watch my mate pleasure himself? I'm sure you're very pent up. You must be incredibly needful by now, from what I know of Variats." Roane said. Kori's mouth dropped open and he almost fell over. "I understand you're shocked because it became routine to me to be impartial to you, but that's changed, Kori. We spoke of it earlier, didn't we?" Roane said. Kori stared at him.

"I- Yeah... we did... I didn't think you were just going to... _say things_." Kori said stupidly. Roane ran his pretty forest-green eyes over him and Kori felt a shiver run up his spine.

"You expected me not to say 'things?'" Roane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You just act like a dumb dickhead forever and now you're asking me if I'm going to touch myself?!" Kori exclaimed incredulously.

"It was hard seeing you as a child and now seeing you as a man. The transition was strange to me and I once I felt that I truly saw you as my Variat, I knew if I were to court you more obviously, I wouldn't be able to wait several years to claim you. Now, we're near to your ascension as the Variat and you expressed a need to get to know your mates better. I decided to be more expressive, especially of my desire for you. I was bothered by the fact that you thought I hated you." Roane said. Kori bit at his lip, trying to decide how to handle the situation. It was all too strange and confusing. Roane was stoic and stubborn. Wasn't he?

"I... I do want to know you better..." Kori muttered.

"Then you should undress and get in the bath, Kori." Roane said. Kori scrunched up his nose.

"That has nothing to do with getting to know you better." He said. Roane's small smirk was becoming more pronounced.

"It will help me get to know _you_ better." He said. Kori sputtered again and he gave him an indignant look.

"Turn around, then." Kori said. Roane didn't.

"It won't stop me from looking." Roane said. The big hulking jerk really wanted to see him naked? Well, fine. Kori would get naked. Demitri and Alex had seen him naked. He could do it again.

Kori glared at him and started to undress, pulling the human shirt off first. That part was easy. Roane was watching him, his interest showing in his eyes. He looked over Kori's naked upper body as if memorizing the details, and licked his lips. Kori felt hot and his nipples tightened in response to Roane's staring. Kori whimpered a little, unable to help himself. Was he really that desperate? Roane's lips parted at the noise.

"The rest, Kori." The older Variess suggested. Kori did as he was told. He didn't know why; it wasn't like he was prone to listening to Roane's orders. But he did it regardless.

He kicked off his boots, then undid the fly of his jeans before sliding them down his hips, self-conscious the entire time. He wondered if he was too lean; he wasn't muscled much. But Roane seemed to like it. He looked quite smug leaning against the wall watching Kori undress. Kori stepped out of his pants and then hooked his fingers into the waist of his boxer-briefs. He was shaking a little and he turned around, sliding them down his hips and giving Roane only a quick view of his ass before sliding into the tub. His chest was still visible but the rest was under the bubbles. Roane looked displeased, which kind of excited Kori, if he had to be honest.

"I'll see it all soon enough. Why put it off?" Roane asked, tipping his head to the side.

"Because I like making you irritated." Kori said with a snooty upturned nose. Roane huffed and Kori thought it might have been a laugh. He looked at Roane quizzically, trying to determine if it was, but the man's face was stoic yet again. His eyes were very focused on Kori, though, and he seemed to at least be thinking something.

Kori took in a deep breath, determined to make himself less hot and bothered, and dipped under the water for a moment to wet his hair. He came back up and wiped the bubbles from his face, looking at Roane again. Yup. Still there. He was very chiseled. He was nice to look at. Kori wiggled his hips a little before realizing what he was doing and becoming mortified once again.

"If you turn any bluer I might have to check for a fever." Roane said. Kori turned away, trying to think of un-sexy thoughts. Instead, he ended up wondering what it would be like with Roane. He now knew what things were like when coupling, to a degree, so that definitely helped his imagination. When he realized he was getting hard, he groaned and covered his eyes.

"Do you need assistance?" Roane asked, as if he thought his groan was something to be concerned about. Kori shook his head.

"I'm fine, _thank you_." Kori grated out. He reached out and grabbed a bottle from the side of the tub and poured some shampoo into his hand. "Since you 'got to know' something, I want to know something." Kori said after thinking a moment. He began to scrub the shampoo into his hair and looked over his shoulder at Roane. Roane looked intrigued.

"Ask." He said. Kori smirked wide. He knew exactly what to ask.

"How do you know Arindal?" He asked, watching Roane's face carefully for a reaction. Roane narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you want to know that?" He asked. Kori knew he was deflecting.

"Because you don't want to answer. If you tell me everything; the truth, then I'll show you everything." Kori said. He was a little surprised by what he had simply blurted out, but he decided to stick with it nonetheless. Roane tipped his head to the side, thinking, before pushing off from the wall and nodding. He walked around the tub, watching Kori with darkened eyes, as if he could see through the tub and the bubbles.

"Arindal is my uncle, though we were not familial. We met before the war when I had come of age. He was a sort of mentor to me... as well as other things." Roane said. Kori's eyes widened to saucers.

"Did you have sex?!" He practically yelled it and Roane looked at him like he had just yelled something extremely personal. Which, he guessed, he had. Kori bit his lips and sank into the tub a little, feeling sheepish. Roane licked his lips and nodded.

"We were lovers as well, yes. We didn't bond, obviously. It was a short period of time and it was of little importance. One day Arindal simply left. He had decided to go west and I was to go to war. That was the end of it." Roane explained. Kori furrowed his brows.

"So... he broke up with you because he wanted to go somewhere? Couldn't he just come back? Couldn't you see each other later and be together again?" Kori asked, confused. Roane shook his head.

"We left on bad terms. I was... not understanding of his choice." Roane said. Kori frowned, upset for Roane. He hadn't thought this was the way the story would go at all.

"You didn't want him to go." Kori said softly. Roane sighed and looked heavenward as if this was a bothersome topic. Kori supposed it was.

"I was very young and I was impulsive. It was different for me back then. I hadn't learned much of the world yet." Roane said. Kori figured that meant that Roane hadn't been as stoic as he was now.

"I didn't know you had had sex." Kori said, almost seriously. Roane raised an eyebrow.

"You think I went a hundred and two years without having sex?" He asked. Kori shrugged. "We had this conversation already today and you're well aware of it." Roane said, narrowing his eyes at him. Kori laughed.

"Do you think you guys can make up? You said he was a deviant. What did he do to you?" Kori asked, eyes going wide as he thought of it. What was considered deviant sex behavior? He wanted to know. Roane made a long-suffering face and ran a hand through his hair.

"I do not know if we can make up. We are very polarized. I am not the same person I was and even back then we had frequent arguments." Roane said. Kori could believe that.

"Did he ever try to talk to you?" Kori asked.

"Yes. He likes to pick at things and be irritating. It's something you both have in common." Roane said, giving Kori a look, but not very serious.

"I never would have guessed...." Kori murmured. He was trying to figure out the dynamic in his head. Who had been on top? How had they interacted with each other? Kori started thinking about Roane being fucked by Arindal and he wiggled his hips, wanting friction, until he realized he was being watched. Kori stopped, eyes wide.

"You're in need, aren't you?" Roane asked. His voice was just a tad lower. So this was what Roane sounded like aroused... It just added more tinder to the flames of need in him. Kori shook his head in denial. "You are. Touch yourself. I want to see it." Roane said. It was a demand again. Kori whimpered and shook his head, but his hand found its way between his legs. "Why don't you? I can't see it. There's bubbles." Roane encouraged him with a stoic face but darkened eyes. Kori bit his lips. Why was the way Roane demanded it of him so enticing? He really wanted to... Why couldn't he? His breaths were shallow and he watched Roane as he moved, still circling the bath like a vulture. He was powerful; it showed in his strong arms and in the way he walked. Normally he could barely see the definition of muscle in his arms; he always wore long-sleeves. Now, he wore a tee-shirt and they were on display. It was very enticing.

Kori leaned back against the side of the tub and spread his legs, finding his knees appearing above the bubbles. It was very telling of what he was doing, and Kori covered his face with one hand. He couldn't really hold back. He was desperate. More than anything he wanted to be bred, but this would have to do. His fingers slid back and he touched his hole, where he wanted so desperately to be filled. He was mortified, yet he wanted to do it even with Roane watching. He wanted it especially _because_ of Roane watching.

Kori tried not to make a noise as he slid a finger into himself, but he let out a moan despite it. It felt too good to have something inside him. He pushed up and curled his finger until he found the spot he was looking for and carefully rubbed at the nub inside of him. If he wasn't careful he would probably be screaming and Roane certainly wasn't seeing that today. Or was he?

Kori opened his eyes to see Roane watching him, kneeling next to the tub with his arms resting on the side. Kori whimpered, squeezing tight around his digit.

"Keep going." Roane encouraged him. Kori panted and he closed his eyes, thrusting his finger in and out of his hole a few times until he started to keen. He opened one eye to see Roane watching him still; eyes intensely focused on him, his lips slightly parted. Kori let out a small moan and he got careless with thrusting, pressing against his prostate well enough that he cried out. He dropped his head back, arching and squirming on his finger.

"That's it..." Roane's voice came out in a growl. "Keep going." He ordered him, and Kori couldn't resist. He kept up the quick thrusts into his hole, hitting his prostate each time until he was crying out wantonly and not caring. He drew his legs up further and thrust his hips with it, barely conscious of what he was doing anymore; sloshing the water in the tub and chasing his orgasm with abandon. One more thrust had him coming, his hips pumping erratically, and Kori let out a series of screams, toes curling with pleasure. Then he collapsed back against the side of the tub, resting his head on the edge as he panted and shuddered with the aftershocks.

"Good boy." Roane said, voice much closer now. His hand was stroking Kori's hair back, being gentle even with such large calloused fingers. His claws threaded carefully through the strands and Kori just let himself enjoy it, feeling completely satisfied for the moment. "Looks like it felt good." Roane said. Kori opened his eyes, blushing, but nodded. Roane gave him a sly sort of smile and kept stroking back his hair. "You deserve to be cumming like that all day, only on my cock instead." Roane said. Kori let out an involuntary moan, shivering. "You like my telling you what to do." It wasn't a question. Kori shook his head but he knew he was right.

"I-is that how this is going to be... for the next week? You can't just watch me touch myself all week." Kori said. Roane gave him a look.

"Why not? Soon you will be full with my eggs." Roane said bluntly. Kori blushed hard and closed his eyes in an effort to stop being aroused. He felt lips on his temple and Kori opened his eyes to see Roane pull his lips away from his skin. It was a tender thing and Kori was surprised by it. He blinked dazedly at him. "It's hard for you to go long without being touched, isn't it?" Roane asked. Kori bit his lips before nodding. "Because you yearn to be bred." Roane said. Kori couldn't hold back a whimper and he nodded again. He wasn't sure if he could even speak at the moment. Roane yanked on the chain attached to the plug for the bath, dislodging it. Kori blinked up at him. "The water is dirty. It needs to be refilled."

"Only 'cause you made me cum in it." Kori said, wrinkling his nose. Roane smiled. His smiles were a micro-expression, but Kori was beginning to see them as more than that. Kori had been wrong about him; Roane _did_ feel things. Judging by the way he had reacted in the other realm to the overstimulation, Kori thought he may even feel more than others. He _was_ expressive, it was just reserved. He wondered if he was reserved because of the war, because of training, or if he was just like that. He gazed up at Roane and didn't even mind that the water was flowing down the drain and leaving him exposed; except for the fact that it was cold.

Roane was eyeing him as the water drained, taking in his nakedness with a hungry look.

"I never thought I was worthy of this... You are something reserved for only the best. You deserve the best." Roane said, sounding awed by the sight of him. Kori didn't think he was anything that special to look at. He furrowed his brows, looking up at him. 

"Why don't you think you're worthy?" Kori asked. Roane was still stroking his hair. It was incredibly soothing but at the same time it was making his nipples hard.

"I am young. I've yet to do that much." Roane said, simply. Kori shook his head.

"You saved a Variat. You were in the war. Isn't that enough?" He asked. Roane shook his head.

"Saving the Variat was a simple task. I was there at the right time and I strung a man through with my sword. It was quick." Roane explained. Kori still didn't understand how that wasn't enough.

"I think you're worthy..." Kori said, confused. Roane's lips looked close to smiling; again, it was more than Kori had realized it was. Kori blinked up at him, taking in the sharp details of his face.

"If you think I am, then it's enough..." Roane said. Kori started to shiver and Roane reached into the bath, making Kori squeak. Roane gave him a deadpan look and pushed the bath plug back in. Then he turned the faucets back on, checking the temperature. Kori chewed on his lip, watching him. He was still self-conscious, but he liked the way Roane watched him. He had tried to get a reaction like this for so long.

Kori sighed as the bath started to warm him up again and he closed his eyes, only to yelp when Roane grabbed his tail. It had been hanging lazily out of the side of the tub.

"I do not understand how you got this so dirty. I suppose it's from hanging from trees like an O'possum...?" He asked, wetting his tail more before grabbing the bottle of shampoo and dousing his tail-end in it. Kori held back laughter and nodded. Roane worked at lathering the shampoo in and then trying to comb the leaf bits out. The way Roane was helping bathe him was touching. It made him feel special. And he supposed Roane actually did find him special.

"Will you really be okay with having Arindal in the pod?" Kori asked, concerned. Roane nodded.

"I can handle it when I remember that you'll be carrying my eggs in a week." Roane said, looking self-satisfied. Kori felt flustered at the mention of it and he shook his head.

"You don't know that they'll be yours. They could be any of yours. You'll never know." Kori said, lifting his chin in playful defiance.

"Oh, I'll know. It's not as if it's hard to guess. I know who your father is." Roane said. Kori raised his brows.

"Oh yeah? Who?" He challenged him. Roane let out a huff of air, which Kori took for a laugh.

"It's Jedza." He said, as if it were obvious. Ok, that was Kori's guess too.

"How do you figure?" Kori asked.

"You're just as restless, for one. You're like a squirrel." Roane said as he carefully combed out Kori's tail with his claws. Kori opened his mouth in a comical "O", acting scandalized.

"I am not! And neither is Jedza!" Roane gave him a doubtful look.

"Jedza may act reserved but he is restless and strange. He never sits still." Roane said. He _did_ have a point. Jedza had been in the military for several hundred years before being mated to the Variat. He was a commander and generally kept his emotions fairly concealed, like Roane, though occasionally he could be very affectionate. Jedza was the best commander in his time because he had just never slept. He was constantly active, thinking, and moving. His mind worked quickly. Without command over troops he was often found in strange positions in odd areas. He had a tendency to ramble about various topics and would sometimes spend weeks tirelessly researching a single topic or working on a project. His mates often had to make him stop working on whatever he was currently consumed by and distract him or make him rest.

"You also have Jedza's eyes and nose. And you're brilliant." Roane added. Kori blinked at him, lips parting in surprise.

"You really think so?" He had never had anyone pay any mind to his intelligence, but Kori had spent long hours learning and his sorcery was one of his greatest accomplishments, even if no one had known of it.

"Of course. You are far superior to Arindal and he's ancient, and I am sure you're a better sorcerer than Yaris, in the village. You weren't apprenticed to anyone. I have no idea how you did it, though I suspect all those hours exploding things in your room had something to do with it." Roane said, narrowing his eyes. "You are too curious for your own good. Do you know that?" Roane said. Kori smiled. He leaned up and wrapped a hand around the back of Roane's neck to pull him into a kiss.

Roane's lips were softer than he thought they'd be and his kiss made Kori almost dizzy. A tingle ran down his spine and Roane brought a hand up to stroke his cheek. The kiss grew from soft to more passionate; Roane coaxing Kori's lips open to lick into his mouth. Kori moaned, feeling like he could certainly get used to this. He wanted Roane. He wanted Roane's eggs.

Roane pulled back first and looked at Kori, his entrancing green eyes studying him for a moment. Kori felt self-conscious and he bit his lip but didn't look away. Roane gave him one last quick kiss on the lips before pulling his hand away from his cheek.

"You need to finish washing. Dinner's soon. Make sure to get the rest of your tail clean. That is, unless you want me to wash it." Roane offered, eyeing his tail . Kori yanked his tail away and started washing the length of it.

"I still don't understand how you can go from not paying any attention to me to... now." Kori said, lathering shampoo into the fur of his tail.

"I _was_ paying attention to you. I just did it while you weren't looking, My V-Kori." Roane corrected himself, watching him as he bathed. "Now, I am doing it while you are aware." Kori chewed on his lip in thought, too flustered to say anything. He grabbed the bottle of conditioner and poured some into his hand before combing it through his hair with his claws. He did the same with his tail. 

"What is Arindal like?" Kori asked. Roane sighed, disagreeable with the subject.

"He is... a wanderer and an opportunist. He never stays in one place for long and he likes it that way. I do not truly understand why he took on this responsibility with the exception that it is something few people have the opportunity to do. There is a reason he hasn't imprinted before despite his age. Most have a pod by nine-hundred years." Roane said. Kori found that somewhat unsettling. He began washing out his hair and tail of the conditioner.

"But... you liked him, right?" Kori asked. Roane looked stoic enough but he let out a long breath through his nose.

"Yes... I did. Once." Roane said. Kori furrowed his brows in thought.

"Do you... do you think we can get along? He's so old. Will he ever imprint with us, if he's never done it before? How come he hasn't?" Kori asked. Roane made a face at the multiple questions.

"I know that you will get along but I don't think he will imprint. I think he has no intention of doing so. I do not know if it is because he is too involved in himself or because he is guarded. Perhaps it's both." Roane said. Kori was surprised by the insightful information coming from the man. He was certainly full of surprises that day.

Kori started washing his body with a scrub brush, avoiding Roane's eyes because he was watching his every move like he was planning to attack.

"So... He's not nice... or...?" Kori asked.

"He is 'nice' enough." Roane said. "He is tricky; That is the issue." Kori made a face.

"Tricky?" Roane simply nodded.

"Then... do you know Uron?" Kori asked. 

"When he came when you were about twenty, I met him." Roane said. Kori had really seen very little of him that day. He simply had an image of him in his mind and that was about as much as he had to go by.

"But you didn't see much of him?" Kori asked.

"No. Arindal knows him." Roane said.

"When is Uron coming?" Kori asked.

"Two days time, I believe." Kori thought that over. He had so little time to get to know his husbands before he would mate with them. It was more than a little unnerving. Kori washed himself of the soap and stood up shyly, Roane standing and taking the towel, holding it open for him. Kori blushed.

"Don't need you to do that..." He muttered. Roane said nothing and started drying his hair, then wrapped it around Kori as he stepped out of the bath. Kori looked down, trying to hide his blue-tinted face.

He walked out of the bathroom quickly, as if he could out-walk the other Variess and leave him in the bathroom, but of course the man followed. Kori went to his wardrobe and opened it, staring at the contents.

"Wear the blue Draguflai-carapace-spun pants." Roane said. Kori blinked and turned to see Roane sitting on his bed. He had never really thought of Roane sitting so casually on his bed like this. It made him a little flustered but it seemed everything was doing that.

"You noticed what I wear...?" Kori asked. Roane shrugged.

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked. Kori swallowed. The Draguflai pants were made of an iridescent green and blue material spun from an enormous Dragon-fly-like creature. The sides were split then laced up with brown suede. Skin could be seen between the laces and the pants were form-fitting.

"And... you like them?" Kori asked. He had always hoped maybe Roane would like them. They were pretty scandalous and Kori figured after a while that they were too scandalous for proper Roane. Apparently not.

"Yes." Roane replied. Kori bit his lips and turned back around, retrieving the pants from the drawer. He found a brown cotton tunic with some modest embroidery to go with it. He dropped his towel and pulled the iridescent pants on. He fastened the button and loop that went over the base of his tail and pulled the ties near the crotch to tighten them to stay around his hips. He then pulled the tunic on, all the while aware of Roane watching him. A belt inlaid with blue scales and brown boots completed his outfit. He looked in the mirror and decided he looked alright before turning to Roane again, raising his brows and holding out his arms.

"To your liking?" He asked, befuddled still by the man's request in his attire. He didn't know how long it would take for him to get used to Roane's sudden willingness to show some personality or interest in him. Roane's eyes raked over him and he nodded in approval. Kori felt a small rush of giddiness and had to look away from the man lest he wiggle like an idiot or some other strange reaction.

"Do you... do you think the others will like it?" Kori asked hesitantly.

"Yes. They will. Anything you wear, you wear well." Roane said. It was a compliment, though it sounded as if Roane had just stated it as fact. Kori felt like he really needed to quell his emotions because he truly thought he was about to make some sort of weird noise in response to all the attention. He hurried over to the bed and jumped on, making Roane bounce a little and the man give him a slightly withering look. Kori laughed. Kori looked at Roane's outfit and tried to think of things he might like the other to wear. Roane's outfit was still the one Arindal had loaned him and it consisted of plain blue jeans and a black tee-shirt. It was actually quite interesting to see him in something that showed off his strong biceps and forearms. All of Roane's normal clothes were plain, as far as Kori had seen. Kori tipped his head to the side and grinned wide at a thought.

"When you go out to find people to do it with, do you wear the stuff I've seen, or do you wear something fancy?" Kori asked. Roane made a face as if Kori was asking a ludicrous question.

"Why?" Kori snorted.

"Because I want to know. Maybe I want to see you in it." Kori suggested. Roane looked like he was considering his answer.

"I wear... Different clothes." He said in a flat tone. Kori's eyes grew wide.

"I want to see! Take me to see!" Kori demanded. Roane looked at him like he was being particularly rowdy and he didn't know how to deal with it.

"Must I...?" Roane asked. Kori nodded.

"Yes. Take me. You're basically like my servant right now and I demand you serve me." Kori said, tipping his chin up arrogantly and crossing his arms over his chest. Kori thought he might have seen a fleeting look of amusement in his eyes. The Variess stood.

"If you insist..." He said with a long-suffering sigh. Kori laughed and crawled off the bed. 

He followed him out of his room and down the flight of stairs, down the hall to Roane's room. He had never been to his room. Kori's eyes widened when they approached it. It was apparently the garden room. Kori hadn't seen it before Roane had settled in, so he had no idea what to expect.

Inside the walls were decorated with wallpaper covered in a regal design of vines. There were plants in pots and hanging all over. Roane's bedspread was a forest green and made perfectly. Kori didn't think the room was any different than what it had been set up as, but there were a few personal items laying around: a book, a brush, a few paintings that he could tell weren't original. One was of a castle, and another was a map of Redtree. Roane stood by the wardrobe but didn't open it, watching Kori's reaction to everything.

"Do you miss your home colony?"Kori asked, brows furrowed. Roane thought for a moment, again, debating on whether or not to answer. 

"Yes. But this is my colony now. You are my Variat. I serve you." Roane said. Kori bit at his lips and looked at the wardrobe and back to him.

"So are you going to show me? You have to dress in it and you have to wear it to dinner." Kori demanded with a wide smile. Roane let out another sigh through his nose and turned to open the wardrobe. He went through some tunics before pulling out a scarlet tunic and holding it up for Kori's inspection. It had a deep collar opening and was laced with black cord rather than using buttons and loops to fasten it as was usual for him. The sleeves were elbow-length, which was also unusual for Roane. Roane was usually all buttoned up with no visible skin besides his neck, head, and hands, and sometimes he wore gloves. He wore thickly-woven neutral-colored tunics (sometimes with a jacket) with long sleeves even when it was warmer out. This material seemed to be much softer and thinner. Kori's eyes widened at the article of clothing. He couldn't see Roane wearing that at all.

"Wow. This is so surreal..." Kori said in wonder. Roane let out a little huff through his nose and pulled out some pants that were made of a brown leather-like material. He also took out a belt that was adorned with some gold circular pieces. Roane laid out the clothes on the bed and looked at Kori with his brows raised, as if looking for Kori's approval. Kori nodded curtly.

"You have to put it on now." Kori said.

"It's not normal for a guard to wear frivolous clothing when inside the castle." Roane said. Kori crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes.

"You're not really a guard anymore. You're my consort. And in any case, you're not just trying to court me; you're supposed to be well-acquainted with the rest of our pod so you should look nice for them to check out the goods." Kori said, smirking. Roane raised an eyebrow at him and seemed to debate this in his head for a moment, standing still, before suddenly grabbing the hem of his tee-shirt and pulling it off. Kori's eyes widened and he realized he hadn't actually expected to see Roane get naked in order to put the clothes on. He made an embarrassing noise that sounded close to a squeak as Roane's entire torso was exposed to him. Roane looked at him strangely for a moment before a slight smirk graced his lips.

Roane was gorgeous and without the shirt he looked somehow more _and_ less intimidating. He looked bigger this way, yet without the shirt he seemed less-likely to punch you and more likely to do something much more pleasurable. The muscles of his arms bulged and he had gorgeously defined pecs and abs. His chest was lightly adorned in blue-black hair that matched the rest as well as his lower stomach where a line started from under his navel and disappeared into his pants.

Kori's eyes bugged out, taking it all in and feeling quite warm suddenly. Roane bent to undo the tennis shoes he was wearing and took those off with the socks. As if being shirtless wasn't enough, he began undoing the fly of his pants.

"Y-You're going to..." Kori said in a high voice, not even sure why he was speaking. Roane looked up and licked his lips tantalizingly.

"You told me to put the clothes on, My Variat. I'm doing as ordered." Roane said. He yanked down the pants and stepped out of them, completely naked. Kori's mouth dropped open and he made a small humiliating whimpering noise. Roane's cock was half-hard and getting harder. It was big and thick and just... a lot. His legs were as muscled as the rest of him, and despite Kori not being used to being naked around others, sexuality was a normal way of life for the rest of the population, so Roane was quite relaxed naked and a bit hard in front of him. He stood there gaping at him for what was probably much too long until Roane spoke again.

"You're needful again." Roane said, raising his brows. His tail was whipping in a way that was almost flirtatious. Kori whimpered once more and shook his head. "I can _see_ your arousal, Variat." He said, nodding to Kori's crotch. Kori quickly looked down. The pants were much too tight and one could see his erection well enough. He hoped he wouldn't get wet enough to wet the seat of his pants. Kori tugged at his tunic, but it was shorter in order to show off his ass. "You touched yourself less than twenty minutes ago, Kori. I suppose a Variat is always needful, though. Would you like me to help?" Roane asked, lips twitching as he fought a self-satisfied smile. Kori quickly shook his head and turned away from him, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to control his breathing. He was intent on not getting a wet spot on his pants from his slick. He could control himself. He _just_ came! But his mind was running through ideas of being bred right there on Roane's bed. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to think unsexy thoughts.

"You can turn around now, Kori. I'm dressed." Roane said in his low timbre after a minute or so. Kori swallowed hard, squeezing his eyes shut and demanding his body calm down. After a few moments he thought he could handle himself and he opened his eyes and took a deep breath before turning. He covered his crotch with a hand. His erection would go away soon... He hoped.

Roane looked almost as sexy as he did naked in the clothes. The sleeves were rolled up a little past his elbows and the shirt was open at the collar, loosely-laced all the way down to just under his pecks so one could see a good sliver of skin. It was a very different look from the tightly-wound Roane Kori knew.

Roane went back to his wardrobe, turning, and Kori saw how well the pants fit him. He bit at his lips, eyes wide. Roane pulled on some dark brown boots as Kori stared at his behind. He was casual; as if he didn't know how hot he looked or that Kori was hiding an erection. Kori knew he was small and it might not be noticeable if he got a little softer, but he was not going to go to dinner even slightly aroused. He swallowed and tipped his chin up arrogantly, taking a deep breath and straightening; trying to act like Roane and be stoic enough that maybe it would hit his dick too.

Roane tipped his head to the side.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you with that, My Variat?" Roane asked again. Kori pursed his lips and shook his head tightly.

"Don't call me that." Kori said tersely. Roane's lips were graced with a small smirk.

" _Kori_ , would you like me to suck your cock?" Roane rephrased. Kori shook his head. Roane let out a huff of laughter. He licked his lips and tried again. "Kori, would you like me to lick your hole?" Kori felt like he was going to faint and he shook his head once more. "Kori, you're going to ruin those pants. I would like you to pull your pants down and bend over the back of the couch." Roane said, nodding to the couch that was facing the fireplace that was across the room from the bed. Kori's mouth dropped open despite his best efforts. He could barely breathe, and then he was breathing too much. He let out yet another embarrassing whimper.

Fine. Fine, he would do it. But only because he didn't want to ruin his pants. Kori was panting as he approached the couch and he bit at his lips, looking behind him at Roane, who gave him and expect look.

"We're doing this for your own good. You don't want to be sitting there at the dinner table with the seat of your pants wet, do you?" Roane asked, looking smug. Kori let out a small noise and he unlaced the front of his pants, then slid them down his thighs before bending over the back of the couch with his ass exposed. He made a noise of need, gripping the top of the couch tightly. Roane walked over and got down onto his knees before sliding Kori's pants further down his legs. Then he spread his cheeks. Kori gasped, unbelieving that Roane was just going to eat him out right there in his room.He whined and covered his face with his hands, making a loud high-pitched noise when Roane pressed his face in between his legs. It was incredibly embarrassing but he couldn't help how desperate he was for it and the embarrassment was worth having Roane tongue his hole. Kori cried out as Roane ran his tongue around his tight entrance and lapped at the slick gathering there before pressing his tongue inside. Kori shook and cried out, trying not to wiggle his hips. He did a poor job, however, and Roane had to hold him in place as Kori screamed. He couldn't hold back the noises he made or the way he pleaded. Roane groaned and it vibrated through him. The fact that Roane was enjoying it only made it that much more overwhelming. He began to thrust his tongue into him, seeming to be able to press in deeper than should be possible. He growled and went at Kori's hole as though it were his lips in a dirty kiss. Kori was coming before he thought should even be reasonable, crying out humiliatingly loud and clawing at the fabric on the couch. Roane grabbed his cock just in time, catching his cum in his fist but prolonging the orgasm as he continued to run his tongue over his hole, trying to collect all the honey dripping from him.

Kori was shaking as he came down from the high, draped over the couch back. He wasn't sure if he could move from the spot... ever. Roane stood and kissed his neck before going to the bathroom and washing his hand of Kori's spend. Kori vaguely recognized the noises to explain Roane's actions but he was mostly blank-minded and spent.

Roane came back to Kori still bent over the couch and boneless like a slug. Roane's hand slid up his back under his tunic and rubbed soothingly in circles. Kori shivered and moaned.

"Are you alright, Kori?" Roane asked, voice husky with desire.

"I- I dunno..." Kori mumbled, barely coherent. Roane let out a huff of laughter and kissed the back of his neck. He bent down and pulled Kori's pants back up over his ass then reached around him to re-lace the front.

"We're going to need to get the couch re-upholstered. You need to file your claws, my Variat." Roane said. Kori stood slowly and blinked dazedly at the couch. He had accidentally clawed at the fabric, ripping it in more than a few places. Kori blushed, hiding his face. His claws weren't even sharp! They were filed enough that he wouldn't scratch himself should he need to fill his hole.

"You... you... I can't believe you..." Kori mumbled.

"Kori, you are my Variat. It is my duty to please you. After the ceremony, if you're needful, we will breed. Which apparently might happen at least a few times a day..." Roane said with raised brows. "Until then, I will service you with my mouth... or fingers." He added as an afterthought. Kori stared at him, mouth slightly ajar.

"D-don't you want me to..." Kori started but stopped, too embarrassed to finish.

"You do not need to pleasure me currently, Kori. I would rather wait. I want to cum inside you the first time." Roane said. Kori blushed hotly.

"You're so weird. Why bother?"

"Because it's important to me." Roane replied.

"So in the meantime are you going to like, go to the city in your sexy gettup and...?" Kori asked with a raised brow. Roane gave him a deadpan look.

"My 'sexy gettup.'" He repeated.

"That's what it is! It's still weird to me. I never saw you show an _ounce_ of sexuality before and that's really weird too! Hell, I've found Tarosso and Jedza fucking in random hallways before!" Kori said with his hands up, making a face. Roane looked displeased.

"Must you talk about the fathers that way? I do not plan to have sex any more before our first night and afterwards, of course, only within our pod. I just do things differently than other Variess. I am sure it took Jedza a long time to get used to civilian life as well. One is discouraged from making connections while at war." Roane said, crossing his arms over his chest. His muscled bulged and it was much more obvious in the present tunic. Kori bit his lip.

"So when was the last time you did it? Who was it? Do I know them?" Kori asked, excited to know every strange intimate detail of the previously much more reserved guard. Roane sighed through his nose.

" _Must_ I tell you this?" Kori crawled up onto the bed, testing it's comfiness. Roane _slept_ there. Roane _slept_. Kori nodded adamantly. "It was Y'rani." Kori's mouth dropped open and then he started to laugh. Y'rani was the captain of the guard. He was even more intimidating than Roane, though, unlike Roane, he was very openly sexual and pretty obscene about it. He was often seen slapping an ass or literally just fucking right out in the open. It was strange to think of Roane with such a promiscuous rowdy Varin. Kori smiled wide after a moment of gawking.

"Was it good or does he suck?" Roane narrowed his eyes at him.

"You associate too much with the fishermen." Roane said. He moved onto the bed himself and crawled up until he was boxing him in. He grabbed hold of both of Kori's wrists and held them above his head, pinning him down beneath him. Kori's eyes grew wide. "I hardly think a Variat should be speaking in such a manor. What is Uron to think when he arrives? It is not appropriate for your station." Kori smirked and giggled a little. "I wonder if we should allow such interactions..." Kori wiggled under him and Roane's lips twisted in a small grin.

"I just want to know about stuff! I haven't gotten to do _anything_ until _yesterday_! Were you top or bottom? Does he have a piercing on his d-" Roane covered Kori's mouth and shook his head.

"Variat, you are too much." He pulled his hand away from Kori's mouth when he thought he wouldn't spout obscenities again.

"Tell meeeeee!" Roane glared.

"Fine. I was bottom. I switch often. He was... satisfactory." Kori snorted.

"Satisfactory?" Roane nodded.

"How is Arindal?" Roane glared again.

"Good."

"How good?"

"Very good." Kori started laughing some more.

"Should we go to see your other consorts?" Roane asked. Kori blinked.

"I thought you said it was dinner time." Kori said, brows furrowed.

"We have two hours until dinner. I just said that so I could tongue you." Roane said, face blank. Kori's brows rose and he burst into laughter again. Roane's lips quirked up. He released Kori and stood, straightening his clothes. "Must I wear this?" Kori scooted to the edge of the bed.

"Yes." He smirked.

"I look too provocative."

"No you're not! You're always overdressed... er... sort of. You're always wearing really boring doublets and pants and stuff and you can't _see_ anything." Roane raised an eyebrow.

"And you want me to look more provocative." Roane stated. Kori nodded.

"My consorts are also in your pod... You should show off your... assets." Kori said.

"Kori..." Roane said in a long-suffering way.

"What? Don't you want to bang Demitri and Alex? Aren't they pretty? They're really hot. I don't get why you wouldn't. Are you racist?" Kori asked with a dramatic gasp. Roane frowned at him.

"I am not _racist_." Roane said. Kori giggled. "Fine. They are attractive." Kori grinned wide.

"So you do like humans?" He asked, whipping his tail back and forth excitedly. Roane's was moving lazily about his feet. He usually kept it that way.

"I am not accustomed to their appearance but I enjoy their looks." Roane said. "The lack of tail is somewhat alarming." Kori started laughing again.

"Is that a deal breaker?" He asked. Roane shook his head. "Good! Let's go see them, then. You go get Arindal and I'll get Alex and Demitri." Roane shook his head again.

"You won't be leaving my sight." Kori frowned. "We will have another guard retrieve Arindal to meet us in the common area." Roane said. Kori sighed.

"Fine..."

**Author's Note:**

> This is a warm-up because I feel like I've lost a lot of my touch writing lately. I need to read more or something to get back into my groove. I just feel off and like my writing has gotten worse. I think I just have to practice.  
> Please let me know what you think but be kind. I'm not good with criticism. Thanks for reading!


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